The Village Prodigy
by TheCastorbean
Summary: How To Train Your Dragon with a female Hiccup and a male Astrid. Follows the movie with a few significant changes to keep things interesting. Companion to 'From Pariah to Hero' which is written in Hiccup's POV. Lets see what Aster thinks. Can be read as a stand alone or with 'From Pariah to Hero.'
1. Chapter 1

It was still dark out when my ma' first shook me awake and I didn't need to be told why.

"Raid!" a man screamed from the street.

I shoved my feet into my boots and ran to the door with my three older brothers, dashing out into the already fire-lit night. This was a common enough occurrence. No words were exchanged, we barely looked at each other before dashing off to our respective posts.

"Hey man!" Snotlout Jorgenson shouted, jogging up to keep pace with me as we ran for the center of the village, "Nice night for a raid huh?"

I promptly ignored him. Lout' was more of an annoyance than an ally, always trying to hang out with me because I'm the most capable in our age group. Personally I wish he would just stop sucking up, it's not like it'll get him any brownie points from anyone, leastwise me.

We made it just in time to put out a burning house across the square. Fishlegs and the twins were already there, filling their buckets and rushing to it. I dipped mine in one of the barrels we kept strategically placed for just such emergencies and hurried to help, dousing the blaze closest to me before turning to run for another. Somehow I'd become the unofficial leader of our little group so the others followed close behind, having scattered to try and put out the fire from multiple angles.

I glanced at the smith as we passed it, turning just in time to catch sight of Hiccup, the chief's daughter, wiping some sweat from her brow. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do more than glance at her. The fire had already spread, we needed to get it taken care of before it went any further.

I was going back for my fifth bucketful when Gobber charged past, waving his axe-hand in the air. Oh Odin…if the smith wasn't there to make sure that Hiccup didn't run off…

Yep there she went, right after I'd filled my sixth bucket she sprinted past me, wheeling one of her contraptions up a hill and getting under everyone's feet. I groaned and glanced at the water bucket in my hands, then the others, who were swarming the half-flaming house. Either I could follow Hiccup and make sure that she wasn't going to get herself killed or stay and do my job.

My moment of indecision cost me when I looked up to see Hiccup gone. Swearing I dropped the bucket and charged in the direction I'd seen her go. Villagers armed with shields and weapons brushed past me, some giving strange glances over their shoulders as they realized who I was. I didn't pay them any mind, searching the sea of fire and bodies for that familiar head of chestnut hair.

It was the loud feminine shriek that clued me in and I turned to see Hiccup dashing down the path, a Monstrous Nightmare on her tail. I rushed toward her, screaming a warning before shoving her to the ground. My intervention had the beast's jaws snapping on air instead of her head. I sprang to my feet and unholstered my axe, which I'd been mindful to grab before leaving home.

I kept myself between Hiccup and the Nightmare, not taking my eyes off the creature while it bobbed to and fro as all stalking creatures do. It charged with a roar and I tensed, waiting for it to be in range. Then Chief Stoick tore onto the scene, punching the thing in the temple hard enough to throw it backward. The creature roared and growled at the new enemy, looking back and forth between us in contemplation.

With the Chief here there's no way we can lose and the beast seems to know that, flapping its wings for takeoff. But it decides not to leave without a bit of revenge, flaming up a pillar off to the side before shooting back into the sky. I watched until it disappeared before relaxing and turning to see if Hiccup was alright.

Her father had her by the arm, looking none too pleased as he begins to haul her away. To my surprise he stops to regard me with a small nod, "I thank ye for yer assistance," he says simply. I nod in acknowledgement, proud of gaining the regards of our leader, before following both of them to the center of the village.

"What were ye thinkin' Hiccup!" Stoick the Vast shouts when we reach the gathering of other villagers.

I make my way over to the rest of the teens, taking a seat on one a barrel and pretending to focus on polishing my axe while sneaking glances at Hiccup and her father over the crowd.

"I can't help it dad!" Hiccup yells back, "I see a dragon and I just have to kill it, y'know?"

Snotlout and Tuffnut snort at that. While I'm sure it was meant to be an insult I had to agree, Hiccup doesn't have a violent bone in her body, at least not one I've seen.

"Ye're many things Hiccup but a dragon killer yer not" her father replies.

"But I actually did hit something with my bola cannon! A Night Fury! You were all busy and I had a clear shot-"

That caught my attention, making me look up from my axe to see Stoick put his hand out to stop her. She looks disappointed, like a wounded baby animal, and I can't suppress the small twinge of emotion that strikes my chest at the sight. The Chief motioned Gobber over, "Get her home, I've got her mess to clean up."

Hiccup's shoulders visibly fall, her gaze focusing on the ground just as it always does when this sort of thing happens. The twinge of emotion turns into an ache, somewhere between pity and concern. I move my gaze back to my axe as she and Gobber pass, tuning out Tuffnut and Snotlout's jeers as I follow Hiccup's retreating form out of the corner of my eye.

"Man was that awesome!" Tuffnut laughs, "I mean did you see that pit fall?"

"I know and she was _trying_ too! It helped!" Snotlout cackles.

I frown along with Fishlegs, who seems to appreciate their insults as much as I do. Sliding off the barrel I smack Snotlout in the back with the blunt end of my weapon, "Enough with the jokes we've got a village to clean up" I bark, turning and walking away too fast to hear Lout's response.

Okay, so I may or may not have a small crush on Hiccup. Just a little one.

Most of the girls in the village are either crazy, superficial, or both. Hiccup is neither and she can't handle a weapon so I never have to worry about feeling competitive around her. She's also very attractive. For most small and slim just isn't their cup of mead, but it's certainly mine.

Honestly I've had a thing for her since we were children, especially when she would come by with flowers after dad died. I remember a rainbow of colors in the palm of her hand and how she would hand them out to everyone in the family, explaining how each color represented the person she gave it to.

Mine was always blue.

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Once I finish cleaning up with the others I throw out a quick goodbye and head home. Breakfast has long passed but the food is still good and our house wasn't damaged in the raid so that's a plus. My older brothers, Axel, Calder, and Halvar are already there, scarfing down their food while our youngest sibling, Tait, helps ma' stoke the fire.

"There ye are Aster!" ma' calls, wiping her hands on her apron while I plop down in my designated seat.

"We thought ye'd been carried off" Calder laughs around his egg.

I snort and take a bite of my bread, "Not this time brother."

"He is of our blood aye" Halvar says, elbowing Calder under the table, "he won't be snatched so easily."

"True, true!" Calder laughs back.

"So how was it out there boys?" ma' calls.

"Horrible" Axel replies, "the beasties made off with half Sven's flock!"

Calder took a swig of his mead and nodded solemnly, "One more raid and we may not have enough to make it through winter."

Not that the struggle to survive was anything new on Berk but it still tended to put a damper mood on things, killing conversation for several long moments before ma' decided to move on to happier topics.

"Axel how's yer courting of Balder's girl going?"

Balder is one of the local fishermen with no male heirs, only three daughters. His wife had been killed in a raid almost two years back. Axel had gotten to know the family well after our father died, apprenticing with Balder and developing an interest in his second eldest daughter, Bergljot.

Much to all our amusement the question made Axel's cheeks color, prompting Calder to elbow him jovially. "It's gettin' along fine ma'" Axel replied, shooting the second eldest a withering stare before returning to his meal.

"Ye've got ta give me more details than that son" she huffed, "ye've been courtin' her for a while now, has Balder accepted yer offer?"

"Just a few more weeks and I'll have enough for a bride price and gift ma'" Axel answered.

She gave a nod of approval, "That's right and good, I like Bergljot, right fine girl she is. The rest of ye'd better pick a lass as good as her when yer time comes!"

She looked at Calder and Halvar specifically when she said this and they both cringed while Axel smirked. Neither of them had chosen a girl to pursue yet and ma' was getting on all our cases about that, threatening arranged marriage if we don't start seriously looking. She'd never really go through with it, or at least I think she wouldn't. She went to visit at the Thorston house the other day, they've got a daughter a year younger than Calder there.

"Erm…" Halvar stammered, raising a glass of mead to his lips.

Calder glanced nervously around the room before his eyes landed on me. That was never a good sign when my big brother was looking for something to distract ma' with.

"What about Aster? He's coming of age too isn't he?"

That dirty rat.

As expected ma' jumped on this new opportunity, face lighting up as she turned to me, "That's right Aster! Have ye anyone ye're considerin'?"

I shot Calder a glare, which he returned with a wide smile.

"Um…not particularly…"

"Wait…you're actually interested in someone?" Halvar asked, suddenly looking interested.

My expression must've been answer enough because Halvar burst out laughing, slamming his hand on the table in unbridled mirth.

"How wonderful!" ma' cried with a newfound twinkle in her eye, "Who is she dearie?"

"Oh this I've got ta hear" Axel said, almost leaning across the table in his interest.

"Must be special if she can catch this one's attention" Calder remarked.

"There isn't anyone!" I cried, gulping down what was left of my own mug before standing up and making my way to the door. "Thanks' for the meal ma' I'll go and get more firewood!"

Through the laughter of my older brothers I heard ma' call back: "Make sure ta come back early Aster, ye've got to rest up for yer first day of dragon trainin' t'morrow!"

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"I hope I get some serious burns" Tuffnut says as we enter the training arena.

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like, on my shoulder or lower back" Ruffnut put in.

"Yea, its only fun if you get a scar out of it" I agree.

"No kidding right, pain, love it."

We all turn to see Hiccup, looking flustered, as she walks through the open gate to stand before us. Everyone made a face, including me, while Tuffnut groaned: "Oh great, who let her in here?"

Hiccup's face dropped, shoulders drooping just enough to be noticeable.

"Let's get started!" Gobber calls, "the recruit o' does best will earn the honor of killin' is' first dragon in front'a the entire village."

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury so does that disqualify her or…" Snotlout trailed off, high-fiving Tuff while Ruff let out a bark of laughter.

I feel like socking him in the jaw when her shoulders drop another inch, cousin or not nobody insults Hiccup like that in front of me. With that in mind I intentionally trod on Lout's foot as we line up. He yelps and punches Tuffnut on the shoulder when the male Thorston twin laughs, but writes the entire thing off as unintentional when I don't stop or glance in his direction.

Hiccup is the last to line up, taking the spot on the end next to Fishlegs. I discretely lean forward, just enough to see Hiccup smile at husky teen. I'm not at the right angle to see his response but judging from the nod she gives him I'm guessing it's not an insult.

"Now behind these doors are a few'a the many species ye will learn ta fight" Gobber says, snatching my attention away from Hiccup and back to the actual reason we're here.

The smith walks the length of the doors set up along the wall, gesturing to each one as he passes it.

"The Deadly Nadder."

"Speed eight, armor sixteen" Fishlegs says.

"The Hideous Zippleback."

"Plus eleven stealth times two."

"The Monstrous Nightmare."

"Firepower fifteen."

"The Terrible Terror."

"Attack eight venom twelve."

"Can ye stop tha'!" Gobber shouts. Prompting us all to glance curiously at Fishlegs.

"And-" Gobber drew out, hand moving to the cage lever, "-The Gronkle."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait" Snotlout said, stepping out of line, "aren't you gonna' teach us first?"

The smith merely smiled, "I believe in learnin' on the job."

He yanked his hand down, releasing the Gronkle and sending us all scattering. "T'day is about survival" he continued, "if ye get blasted, yer dead."

So the goal is just to not get blasted. Defense instead of offense then, dodging instead of taking the fight to the dragon.

The Gronkle crashed into the side of the arena and scrambled to its feet, spotting the rocks in the corner and making a beeline for them.

"Quick wha's the first thing yer gon' need?" our teacher called.

"A doctor" Hiccup shouted.

"Plus five speed!" Fishlegs tried.

If we're talking defense then… "A shield!" I shouted, rocking on the balls of my feet.

"Shield!" Gobber confirmed, "Go!"

He gestured to the pile of weapons lying near one side of the ring. We all ran for them.

"Yer most important piece of equipment is yer shield, if ye have ta choose between a sword or a shield, take the shield" Gobber said.

I snagged a shield from the pile, paying the arguing twins no mind as I skidded to a stop just outside the dragon's line of sight.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, yer out!" Gobber called, "those shields're good for another thing too, noise, make lots of it ta throw off a dragons aim."

I banged my axe against the shield, never taking my eyes of the Gronkle as it turned to face us. Lout' and Legs' were to my left, Hiccup was nowhere to be seen and I didn't have time to look. Gobber would probably be shouting if she'd gotten injured anyway, she is his apprentice after all.

The Gronkle reacted to the noise by shaking its head and blinking, clearly disoriented. I circled around it and vaguely realized the others were doing the same. Hiccup was one of them, though she looked more nervous than the others, including Fishlegs.

"All dragons have a limited number of shots, how many does a Gronkle have?"

"Five?" Snotlout called.

"No six!" Fishlegs replied. From the corner of my eye I saw flames engulf his shield.

"Fishlegs out" the Gobber called as the large teen ran for the arena edge.

Hiccup had crouched behind some stacked wooden planks for shelter. Personally I was happy with her there, perfectly out of the way of the action. Gobber wasn't as content with her position as I was and ordered her to jump into the fray. My eyes were on the Gronkle, which had taken to buzzing around the ceiling. It aimed a shot at Snotlout, who danced out of the way, conveniently placing him next to me.

I didn't look at him and dove out of the way when the Gronkle swooped toward us, summersaulting to the side. "Snotlout out" our instructor called.

"I guess it's just you and me huh?"

From the corner of my eye I noticed Hiccup coming up beside me, her shield and axe lowered in the picture of relaxation. Didn't she have any sense of self-preservation?

"Nope, just you" I answered, diving out of the way as the Gronkle shot another blast.

"One shot left!"

Hiccup yelped somewhere behind me and I took off around the arena. She hadn't been hit, much to my relief, though she was stupidly chasing after her shield. The Gronkle chose to follow her instead of me and it didn't take her long to notice, glancing over her shoulder before she abandoned the shield and started running.

"Hiccup!" Gobber shouted.

I cursed under my breath and circled around, trying to hit it off.

I wasn't quick enough and the Gronkle backed her into the wall, forcing her back against the metal while it opened its mouth to fry her. Luckily Gobber caught its jaw at the last second, throwing off its aim. To her credit Hiccup didn't scream, throwing her hands over her head to ward off the embers that rained down over her. I skidded to a stop nearly twenty feet away while the smith wrestled the dragon to the center of the arena.

"And tha's six" Gobber grunted, "go back ta bed ye overgrown sausage!" he shouted, shoving it into the cage and slamming the door.

"Remember a dragon will always, always go for the kill" our instructor said, looking at Hiccup as he spoke.

She looked more than flustered as her mentor walked away, a little lost, a little disappointed, but not hurt at least. I hiked my axe further up my shoulder and turned to go with the others. They were all complaining about how sore they were and I glanced over my shoulder while they were distracted.

Hiccup was staring at the charred spot on the wall, evidence of just how close she'd come to being killed. That was an uncomfortable thought, her and dead in the same sentence. If Gobber hadn't gotten to her in time…

I clutched the handle of my axe tighter.

Maybe I should do some speed training next.

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We all gathered together in the mead hall later on that night. Gobber had sauntered up half way through dinner and started drilling us on what we'd done wrong in the ring. I was happy for the review.

"Where did Aster go wrong in the ring t'day?" Gobber asked.

"I mistimed my summersault dive, it was sloppy and threw of my reverse tumble" I replied automatically, taking a sip from my mug.

"Yea, we noticed" Ruff said with a roll of her eyes.

"No don't" Snotlout protested, "you were great, that was so Aster."

This time I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to chuck my mug across the table. Instead I brought it back to my lips and drained it to the bottom. From over the rim of the glass I noticed Hiccup approach. Her hair was a mess, more so than usual, with leaves and twigs sticking out of her bear fur vest.

She kept her head down as she snagged a plate of chicken from the edge of the table. Snotlout scooted down the bench, grinning widely while Hiccup walked past. The urge to knock his teeth out resurfaced. She grabbed a cup and walked around Fishlegs.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber asked.

The husky teen smiled at Hiccup as she passed him, she returned it shyly. My hand tightened around my mug, an unfamiliar prickle of unease stabbing at my chest.

"Uh, she showed up?" Ruffnut tried.

"She didn't get eaten?" Tuff put in.

That one made me frown. I rolled my eyes at both answers and finally supplied the correct response: "She's never where she should be."

I attempted to soften my voice to make the comment seem less harsh, Hiccup didn't look up from her meal so I'm guessing that I failed at that.

"Thank ye Aster!" Gobber said, "ye need ta live and breathe this stuff."

The smith strolled around the table, thumping both Ruff and Tuff – deservingly if you ask me - as he passed before slamming a book in front of us. "The Dragon Manual, everythin' we know about every dragon we know'a."

Gobber lifted his head, eyebrow cocked, considering, while everyone else's attention was focused on the book. A boom of thunder resounded outside and his eyes narrowed. "No attacks t'night, hurry up" he declared, limping away on his stump leg.

"Wait, you mean read?" Tuffnut queried.

"While we're still alive?" Ruff continued.

"Why read words when you can just kill the things the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout questioned.

That didn't make sense but I'd long since learned that it was useless to try and convince idiots of anything to the contrary so I kept my mouth shut.

"Oh, oh" Fishlegs said excitedly, "I've read it like seven times! There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face and there's this other one who buries itself for like a week-"

"Yea, yea, yea, okay" Tuff interrupted, "there was a chance I was gonna' read that-"

"-but now…" Ruff finished with an agonized eye roll.

"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff" Snotlout said, standing from his seat and heading for the hall doors. Ruff and Tuff got up to follow while Legs knocked the bench over to hurry after them.

"So…I guess we'll share-" Hiccup said as she came to stand next to me.

As much as I would love to spend time with Hiccup, especially with such a perfect excuse and her smiling so invitingly at me…huh maybe I should stick around after all. No, wait. I gave myself a mental shake and shoved the book across the table toward her, "Read it" I stated simply, before turning and making my way to the door.

I heard part of her response, "Wow, all mine now. Gee…uh I guess I'll see you-" the door slammed shut behind me, cutting her off.

Man she probably thinks I'm a serious jerk for blowing her off like that but dragon training starts early tomorrow, I can't afford to stay up reading some book I've already gone through. But still this is Hiccup, it's not like I've got many chances to hang out with her as it is, we don't have anything in common and rarely find each other around the village.

I stood just outside the mead hall, indecisive as to whether I should make a complete fool of myself and go back in there or just go home. Eventually the latter won out, it's not like this would be my only chance to talk to her anyway, and I started down the steps toward home. I passed Fishlegs on the way and stopped to watch as he trudged back into the hall, muttering and grumbling under his breath.

Huh, maybe he forgot something.

I turned and made my way back home, sliding under the covers and falling asleep to the tune of Calder's snores. Big day tomorrow after all.

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We all showed up to a modified training arena early the next morning. Apparently we were working with the Deadly Nadder today and a maze of patchwork walls was the best way to prepare us for facing one out in the field. Rather than seeking safety in numbers we all split up, the twins naturally choosing to stick together while Snotlout once again glued himself to my side.

I peered around corners and dodged the dragon's advances with that stupid Lout' yapping in my ear the whole way. Chief's blood or not, Hiccup's cousin or not, he was five words away from losing his head when Gobber's shouting caught my attention.

"Focus Hiccup! Yer not even tryin'."

There was a crash just down the way and I halted at an intersection, peering around the corner and finding it empty. Thankfully the call had shut Snotlout up for the time being.

"T'day is all about attack" Gobber yelled, putting emphasis on the last word, "Nadders're quick and light on their feet, yer job is ta be quicker and lighter."

That explains the maze. Give the thing a foothold and let it work.

Someone screeched off to the side, and Fishlegs called out: "I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!"

Snotlout snickered beside me and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Maybe if I was lucky the dragon would take a bite out of him…at least then he'd be stuck in the healers hut instead of bothering me. A morbid but comforting thought as I skidded to a stop just around another corner.

"Look for its blind spot!" Gobber called out, "Every dragon has one, find it, hide in it, and strike."

Of course, the maze forced the Nadder to hop on top of the walls to locate us, at the right angle we could hide literally right under its nose until the opportunity to strike presented itself.

I smiled and moved to peek around the corner, noticing the rapidly approaching footfalls a moment after something pulled up short in front of me. Hiccup stumbled, regaining her balance after nearly plowing into me while I stepped back. The satisfactory sound of Snotlout's staunched curse after my heel slammed down on his boot was nearly drown out by my focus on the much smaller form in front of me.

She looked winded, having evidentially already encountered the Nadder if the singed remains of her axe were anything to go by.

"Still here Hiccup? Why don't you leave it to the real Vikings?" Snotlout said.

I frowned, briefly pondering the merits of drawing the dragon close and 'accidentally' diving away just in time to miss a blast of magnesium fire, thus allowing my shadow to get his face singed off instead, before Hiccup spoke up.

"Who else would the dragon use to pick your hide out of its teeth" she murmured. It probably wasn't meant to be heard but she hadn't backed far enough away for me to miss her comeback. I couldn't help myself, releasing a mild chuckle at the jab.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me. I forced myself to appear expressionless again, though inside I was sweating. Hiccup usually kept her attention on the ground or other things, never really people. I'd only ever seen her look directly at her mentor when they were talking, with everyone else she was shifty, eyes moving everywhere and only exchanging brief words before backing out and taking off to who knows where.

But now she was looking directly at me, her mouth hanging open slightly, eyes wide – huh green, funny how I've never noticed what color they are before. Yet another unique thing to add to the pile, hardly anyone on Berk has green eyes.

I jerked from my musings as the tromping of dragon claws reached my ears and I peered around the corner to see that the Nadder had finished with whoever had been occupying its attention and was now coming toward us. I took off in the other direction with Lout' and Hiccup following after me, it was only after several turns and near-misses with the Nadder that I realized Hiccup was gone.

Well, at least I know she's alright so long as the Nadder is here and not wherever she is.

Eventually I hunkered down at a three way intersection, keeping track of the Nadder's movements in preparation for crossing. Snotlout, as usual, was still following me. We would need to get closer if we wanted to sneak up on the creature and Lout' would work well as a decoy if nothing else.

"I know, I know but hypothetically…"

I glanced back to see Hiccup frozen at the mouth of another intersection not far from us. Her eyes had widened when she spotted us and I attempted to tell her with my gaze to be quiet. She seemed to understand and skulked up beside us just as I determined it was okay to move.

Summersaulting across the gap I slid easily back to my feet and kept running, not bothering to check and see if Lout' and Hiccup made it after me. There was a growl from somewhere behind, clear indication that someone had botched the stealth attempt. Cursing under my breath I rounded a corner and stopped at the mouth of another intersection, shifting my gaze left, right, and up to make sure the Nadder wasn't around.

"So I was thinking…" Snotlout said, walking up beside me in the very picture of relaxation. Oh Odin if it wasn't Lout' that'd botched the tumble earlier….no Gobber wouldn't let anything happen to his apprentice, Stoick would kill him and he would be out an extra pair of hands at the forge.

"…maybe we could go to the hall later, I'll ask Tuff to come along too, see if there are any cute barmaids to chat up."

This time I was seriously considering maiming him. Lucky for Lout' the Nadder chose that moment to spot us, dashing forward and leaving me to run in the opposite direction.

"C'mon I'm sure it'll be fun!" Snotlout continued.

Doesn't anyone have any sense of self-preservation around here?

"It could be just you and me if you want, maybe we could even invite Fishlegs too if he felt like it…"

The walking annoyance trailed off as he rounded another corner, leaving the Nadder to me. Of course Hiccup was standing obliviously at the end of the path and I had to make a sharp turn to miss her, nearly banging my shoulder against the wall in my rush. The dragon continued in pursuit, knocking over one of the walls and creating a domino effect that left half the arena trashed. Yet even with the walls raining down around us the Nadder still managed to keep an eye on me.

With the maze down it didn't take long for me to be trapped at a dead end. Thinking quickly I jumped up onto one of the walls, hobbling there for a moment in an attempt to regain my balance. The Nadder was right behind me, I could hear it growling, so without thinking I dove for the next wall. So did the dragon, causing it to tumble. With no more footholds I pitched forward…heading right for an obviously startled Hiccup.

"Hiccup!" I shouted, trying to warn her but it was too late.

My tumble took us both to the ground. I landed on top while the Nadder's foot missed us both by an inch. It stumbled off to the side, trying to relocate its prey. I gripped the handle of my axe and pulled, dismayed to see it lodged into her shield. Frustrated and more than a little desperate after seeing the Nadder turn in preparation for another charge I yanked at my stuck weapon, using my other hand for leverage and eventually managing to wretch the entire thing off her arm.

Then I sprang to my feet just in time to defend against the attacking dragon, slamming both the axe and shield into the side of its head. It warbled and limped away, evidentially giving up the battle.

"Well done Aster" Gobber called.

I took in a few deep breaths and looked down at my axe, which still had a sizable chunk of wood stuck to the blade. A sudden flash of anger overtook me and I whirled around to face Hiccup. She still hadn't pulled herself up from the ground, sitting up with a dazed look on her face.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you?" I asked, "our parents' war is about to become ours, you'd better figure out which side you're on."

I was about to turn and walk away when the look on her face registered. Some of my anger left me as I realized she looked…not hurt…but definitely affected by my comment. The urge to somehow offer comfort was staggering. I usually don't feel guilty for telling people what I'm thinking, especially when most of them really need to hear it, but Hiccup isn't everyone else.

At the same time what I said wasn't a lie and she needs to learn to take these things more seriously. She could've easily gotten both of us killed out there by not paying attention. There's no way she can do something like that in real battle and expect to come out without severe injury or worse.

So I stomped down on my guilt and walked away, the others trailed behind me.

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"So Hiccup the Useless strikes again" Snotlout commented as we left the arena.

I was still too angry to feel defensive over his insults so I let them slide for now, examining my axe as I walked. The chunk of wood attached to one of the blades would need to be removed. There was also a new patchwork of scratches that would need to be smoothed out, oh great I would have to take it to the smithy later. No way could I wait the standard day it always took for maintenance with dragon training every morning. Maybe Gobber would let me borrow another axe from the armory…

Tuffnut laughed, "Yea but did you see Aster? Must've been nice to cop a feel of those watermelons eh friend?" he elbowed me jovially.

I opened my mouth to snap at him for calling me friend when the rest of the statement registered. "Wait what are you talking about?"

Snotlout snorted, "Please, don't tell me you didn't notice?"

I gave both boys a blank stare and their eyebrows rose.

"Wait…you seriously didn't notice?" Lout' asked.

"Notice what?" I asked, growing impatient.

Tuffnut and Snotlout burst out laughing, leaving me to raise a quizzical eyebrow at Fishlegs and Ruff, silently asking for an answer. The female half of the Thorston twins had been listening to the conversation with a scowl, looking disgusted by both boys while Fishlegs was flushed.

"What?" I prompted, letting my irritation seep into my tone.

"When you yanked her shield away you put your hand on her boob!" Tuff shouted out.

I blinked slowly while they went into another round of guffaws, trying to think back to when I'd landed on Hiccup. I hadn't exactly been able to take in too many details at the time but now that I think back on it I did feel something squish under my palm when I was yanking at my axe.

Oh…Mighty Thunder of Thor….

Heat rose to my cheeks, probably lighting my skin up like Snoggletog morning. Luckily Snotlout and Tuffnut were too busy laughing to notice, though Ruff did raise an eyebrow after breaking the death stare she was shooting her brother.

"But seriously how was it?" Snotlout asked, him and Tuffnut flanking me as we walked.

"Well I wasn't exactly paying attention to that" I bit out, not at all comfortable with how interested they were in Hiccups bust. Snotlout is her cousin for Odin's sake!

"C'mon she's got the best pair in the village unlike Ruffnut, who's flat as a board-"

Said Thorston female proceeded to clobber her twin with a very nasty right hook, succeeding in doing what I was approximately three seconds away from doing myself.

"Tuffnut's right" Snotlout agreed, "I bet even Fishlegs wants to hear about it, don't you Fish?"

We both turned to look at the husky teen, who had been quietly hovering at the edge of the conversation up until now. His already raging blush turned several shades darker at the question. "Well…I…um don't really-"

"See" Snotlout interrupted, "even he wants to know."

"You guys are disgusting" Ruffnut cut in, dragging her unconscious brother behind her like a sack of potatoes.

"You're just jealous because she has bigger boobs than you-" Tuff slurred as he returned to the waking world. His twin slammed her boot into his face before he could even finish the sentence. I could almost swear I saw a tooth fly out of his mouth and skitter along the path after that one.

I shook my head in disgust and turned to walk away, not bothering to bid my farewells or answer Snotlout as he called after me.

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We all met up for a bonfire later on that evening. I was stuck sandwiched between Lout' and Ruff, which left me susceptible to his continued inquiries about what his cousin's bust felt like. It made me all different kinds of uncomfortable, especially when Tuff joined in. Even worse was when my traitorous eyes slid over to Hiccup, who had situated herself between Fishlegs and Gobber, and inevitably landed on her chest.

It wasn't like I'd never snuck a peek before but she was usually moving around, except on the rare occasions when I'd catch her perched on her front porch or a cliffs edge sketching. Those moments were few and far between though and usually only resulted in passing glances. No need for her to look up and decide that I'm some kind of creepy weirdo for standing in the middle of the path staring after all, not to mention the humiliation if anyone else were to see me.

But now, being able to peer at her discretely over the fire while pretending to be keeping an eye on my chicken leg, I was able to get a long look. Okay so her bust was rather large, I could tell that much despite the way she was hunched over with her elbows resting on her knees. Petite figure with long legs…

"-and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole!" Gobber said, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically and effectively breaking me out of my observation.

Gods I'd been checking Hiccup out. I took a huge bite of my chicken leg to hide my blush. Snotlout had gone silent beside me, which was truly a miracle if I've ever seen one. Thank Odin that everyone had been too riveted by Gobber's story to notice.

"I saw the look on is' face, I was delicious, and he must've passed the word because it wasn't a month before another one'a them took my leg" Gobber continued.

"Wouldn't it be weird to think if your hand was inside a dragon" Fishlegs began, mashing a pair of chicken legs together in illustration, "if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing its heart or something."

I raised an eyebrow, discretely lowering my meal into my lap. The suggestion was almost enough to kill my appetite.

"I swear I'm so angry right now!" Lout spoke up, completely disregarding Fishlegs strange statement, "I swear I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot, I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face."

If Fishlegs suggestion was strange then Snotlout's was idiotic. I took another bite of my chicken while Gobber made a disapproving sound and did the same, "It's the wings and the tails ye really want, if it can't fly it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

I filed that away for later, important information to consider when you go in for the initial attack.

The smith stood and stretched with a yawn, "Well I'm off to bed and ye should be too, t'morrow we get ta the big boys…slowly but surely makin' our way up ta the Monstrous Nightmare."

Everyone leaned forward eagerly at the statement, expectant of the challenge. I could feel my blood pumping at the thought of fighting the beast in the ring, the honor I could bring to my family. The finest in dragon training, best dragon killer of my generation. The thought made me smile.

"But who'll win the honor of killin' it?" Gobber finished dramatically.

My eyes strayed down the line of my competition. Fishlegs won't be a problem if the way he ran from the Gronkle is any indication. Neither will the twins, they fight too much to be any challenge. If Lout' were to actually grow a brain and stop following after me he might pose a threat, but of course that'll never happen so I'm safe on that front. Then of course there's Hiccup. She can barely hold up a shield, so she's not an issue…

My eyebrows scrunched together as I noticed the abandoned fish lying in her seat.

"It's gonna' be me" Tuffnut said casually, leaning back in his seat, "it's my destiny, see" he continued, pulling up his shirt to reveal a dragonish shaped mark on his side.

I was hardly paying attention to the idle chatter as I stood and made my way over to her seat, catching movement out of the corner of my eye.

Hiccup had descended the wooden stairs and slipped away. Not too strange for her, she's always had a knack for disappearing. There was a prickling unease in my gut, whispering that something wasn't quite right here. But I ignored it and returned to the bonfire. It was probably nothing.

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We all showed up for training the next morning as usual. Unfortunately I hadn't found time to talk to Gobber about fixing my axe. Hiccup had disappeared after the bonfire, though even if she were available I'm not sure I could manage a proper conversation with her right now. Gods damn Snotlout and Tuffnut to Hel and back for putting those thoughts in my head, I spent half the night staring at the ceiling and trying not to remember the brief feel that I'd snatched the day prior. For once I'm thankful for Calder's snores, at least they managed to drown out some of those thoughts.

Luck seemed to be on my side today though.

Once everyone was present Gobber had unceremoniously shoved full buckets into our arms and told us to pair up. Ruffnut immediately claimed Hiccup, squashing any intentions that I may or may not have had for asking her to pair with me. Snotlout attempted to make his way over to me while I snagged Fishlegs. If this was going to be an exercise that required trusting our partners with our lives I certainly wasn't going to get stuck with Lout'.

Fishlegs seemed to be thinking something similar as he watched Tuff and Snotlout pair off. Yea, definitely better odds this way.

"T'day is about teamwork" Gobber said as the cage opened and a cloud of gas seeped into the arena, "now a wet dragon head can't light its fire, the Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky, one head breathes gas while the other head lights it. Yer job is to know which is which."

Fish' and I stood back to back, quickly losing sight of everyone else.

"Razor sharp serrated teeth that inject venom from predigestion, for its ambush attack, crushing its victims-"

"Giving away our position Fishlegs" I growled over my shoulder.

"Sorry" he whispered back.

We stopped circling. I remained on alert, flicking my eyes back and forth while focusing my hearing to search for even the tiniest bit of sound.

"There!"

Fish' jumped almost a foot in the air at the sudden exclamation while I whirled in the direction of the noise, bucket held high in preparation for the attack.

"Hey, it's us you idiots!" someone, a girl by the sound of it, shouted. Tone was too sharp to be Hiccup so it must be Ruff.

"Your butts are getting bigger, we thought you were a dragon" this reply was much softer but only Tuffnut could say something so stupid. I rolled my eyes.

Someone, Snotlout I would know that obnoxious chuckle anywhere, laughed, "Naw' it was probably just Hiccup's jugs and huge hips!"

Okay note to self, give Lout' a knuckle sandwich later.

There was a crash, followed by a pained groan and a shout not long after. Okay either Tuffnut said something stupid enough to make Ruff maim him or Hiccup finally decided to beat those two into submission. The former seemed more plausible, especially when Tuffnut started shouting: "I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" somewhere off in the distance.

Fishlegs let out a high-pitched yelp behind me and I'd barely started to turn before he shouldered into me. It was only a glancing blow but more than enough to knock me back a few steps, half the water sloshing out of the bucket to soak my pant leg. I swore and planted my feet to steady myself, managing to whirl around and come face-to-face with the Zippleback.

I jerked back but not fast enough to avoid a head butt to the gut. The bucket flew out of my hand and clattered to the ground while I flew back into the wall. Pain exploded in my skull and I squeezed my eyes shut, opening them a moment later to find my adversary gone.

For a second I just sat there, one arm wrapped around my aching torso while the dark spots in my vision faded. Once I was sure that I could manage I put one hand on the wall and forced myself to my feet. The gas was still swirling around the arena but I'd managed to slip just out of its range. Gobber was standing near the gate opposite the cloud, he was the only one I could see.

Maybe Tuff and Lout' had been eaten after all. Well at least it would be a little quieter around here now. Though Fish', Ruff, and Hiccup were also nowhere to be seen. While Legs' and Ruff are more of a neutral concern for me given that I have nothing against them, Hiccup I can't deny being worried about.

What can I say? Seeing her these past few days of training has put a whole new spin on things. I mean I knew that she didn't have any skill with weaponry but I wasn't aware that she was this bad. She needs more than just Gobber and her father keeping an eye on her. Though she is a lot tougher than I thought she was, given the insult she'd thrown back at Snotlout yesterday despite not meaning for him to hear it.

Ruffnut appeared out of the mist, backing up slowly. Hiccup followed, crawling backward on her hands and knees, eyes wide and fixed solely on the Zippleback slithering after them. That dragon certainly did not look happy, one mouth leaking gas while the other jerked as the sparks lit up on its tongue. The creature leapt forward unexpectedly, flaring its wings in obvious threat.

"Hiccup!" Gobber called, already making his way over.

Suddenly the thing reared back, shrieking wildly. At first I thought it was coming in for the kill but then I noticed that its wing's had dropped and it was…backing away? Hiccup stood and cried: "Back!" making a shooing motion with her hands. It was probably the least threatening thing I'd ever seen but the monster did it, squawking in alarm and trying to put distance between it and the tiny girl.

"Back!" she shouted again, taking another step forward, "now don't you make me ask you again!"

Her outline was all I could make out as she backed the creature further into what was left of the gas, eventually slamming the cage doors shut behind it. The wind from the doors closing cleared the rest of the smoke. Hiccup was standing next to the pen wiping her hands absently on her vest. It was only after she was satisfied cleaning off whatever had clung to her hands that she looked up and noticed us all staring.

"Uh….so I've kinda' got…a thing, yea" she said, already inching toward the door. Nobody made any move to stop her as she walked out of the arena. We didn't speak for a while after, at least not until Gobber finally cleared his throat and told us that training was over for the day.

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The Goethi caught me as I was exiting the arena, dismissing my protests and smacking me on the arm with her staff until I let her take a look at my injuries. They weren't bad, just a goose egg and some bruising, she said that I was very lucky. Apparently broken ribs and a concussion were the norm for that kind of attack. I was still berating myself for getting hit in the first place.

So I spent the rest of the afternoon at my favorite training ground using my knife to try and dislodge the chunk of wood still stuck to the blade of my axe. If I brought it to the smithy before I managed to get the wood off the repair would undoubtedly cost extra. It took considerable effort and resulted in a lot of splinters before I finally got frustrated enough to hurl it at the nearest tree. Then I spent another hour trying to pull it out of the trunk.

Luckily the chunk of wood came out when I finally worked the blade free of the trunk, though there was a huge scar left on my weapon, much to my disappointment. Despite knowing that it needed maintenance I'd held onto some hope that it would be in good enough condition to survive through dragon training. At least then I wouldn't have to go weaponless.

I could also avoid having to face Hiccup in the forge.

I groaned as I trudged to the smithy from the mead hall, having delayed the inevitable as long as possible by going to grab a bite with the others. Ma' probably wouldn't be pleased but my brothers had doubtlessly gobbled up my plate eagerly. Luckily I'd had a few pieces of silver on me just in case.

I'd probably have to put in a few hours of labor for Bucket and Mulch to get anymore though, paying for my axe repairs would demolish my savings. The idea of mucking animal stalls didn't appeal to me but it definitely beat going into battle with a weakened axe or, even worse, weaponless.

The fire wasn't lit when I got there and the customer window was closed. This wasn't very surprising. Gobber really only left it open for drop offs, the kind that you don't want or need to get back right away. So I walked right in, not surprised to see the smithy unoccupied.

Gobber had likely gone out and Hiccup was probably home, there goes my chance to request a rush order. It would undoubtedly cost more than a standard sharpening, especially with the gash in the side of the blade, but there's nothing I can do.

My eyes shifted to the door at the back of the room. It was shut, just as it always was, with a naked hook nailed haphazardly to the wall to the left of it. If the apron that usually hung there was gone then Hiccup must still be here. The Gods must hate me. But I needed my axe repaired so I stepped around the piles of metal and stuff that littered the corners, heading for the door. The smithy was silent and it didn't take long to notice a new sound drifting from the other room. It sounded like…humming. Granted I couldn't hear it very well through the wood but what I could hear was nice.

Well at least I know for sure she's here now.

"Hiccup?" I call, stepping over a rather large pile of dull swords.

There was a sudden bang on the other side, then silence. My pace quickened and soon enough I was flinging the door open. Hiccup was sitting on the floor, both hands clutching her forehead. From the angle she was sitting she'd probably banged her head on the desk.

"Hiccup are you okay?" I ask.

I've never actually seen this back room before, though I do know from some of Gobber's casual jabber that he'd given it to Hiccup to use as her personal work room. I'd always been a little curious as to what she kept in here and it felt too much like an intrusion to just walk in. But she hadn't looked up when I'd asked if she was okay so obviously she needed help right?

I'd just stepped over the threshold to do just that when one of her hands strayed from her head, hooking onto the edge of the table and helping to pull her to her feet. "I'm fine, just got a little…startled, is all" she laughed, giving me a reassuring smile.

Okay so maybe my minor crush on Hiccup is a little more than minor. If she smiled at me like that all the time I'm sure the entire village would know by now. Luckily she had averted her eyes back to the tabletop, keeping her from seeing the owlish look I graced her with. Gods she has a pretty smile…

"D-did you need something?" she asked after a moment.

I reached for my axe, praying to whatever God was listening that my expression gave none of my prior thoughts away as I held the weapon, "I'm due for a sharpening."

She nodded and motioned for me to follow before heading back into the forge, making a beeline for the hearth and stoking the coals. "This will probably take a while to light, you can leave it on that table and I'll hand it back to you tomorrow at dragon training" she said.

She waved her hand absently at a metal plated table off to the side. It was heaped full of dull knives and swords, hardly any room for a pocket knife let alone my axe. I stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to just attempt to plop it on top of the pile or move some of the weapons to the side. Hiccup must've noticed my dilemma as she said: "Oh, sorry about that," and slid past me to clear a space, wrapping her arms around the bunch of weapons and tossing half under the table. The remaining few got shoved off to the side.

"Aren't you too busy?" I asked, "I mean all of those need to be fixed too right?"

She brushed past me and started pumping the bellow again, throwing all her weight on top of it to get it to move. I stomped down on the urge to offer my help, she clearly knew what she was doing a lot better than I did anyhow. "Not really, those don't really take that long and the owners didn't specify a time for pickup. Gobber and I usually just split the work when we're both here, a stack that size doesn't even take half a day" she answered, giving the bellow one final pump before checking the coals.

She seemed satisfied and leaned back, "Can I take a look at your axe for a second?"

I hadn't placed it on the table yet and simply handed it to her. She took it, dipping a bit under the weight but not quite sagging as she propped it up against a nearby table and held it by the head to examine it more closely. Her tongue poked out while she worked, making her look almost childish as she flipped the blade over and casually brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

It was mesmerizing to watch.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, pointing to the mark.

"I think it was from that day we were training with the Nadder" I answered absently, my eyes having refocused on her own green orbs. Gods how could I have taken so long to notice what color they were? Now I can't seem to stop wanting to stare at them.

She winced after I spoke, looking guilty as she placed my axe on a nearby anvil and strolling over to check the fire. A long moment passed, then she sighed, "Okay…repairs are on the house since it's technically me who's responsible for breaking it in the first place."

Okay first she offers to do a rush job without me having to ask, then she goes looking all cute while she's checking my axe out – nobody in the world can or should look that attractive – and now she's offering to fix it up for free?

"Are you trying to suck up to me or something?" I ask automatically.

She blinked, looking thrown, "What? No I was just trying to take responsibility for messing up your axe. It's because of that mark that you brought it here right?"

She was being honest. Both her tone and eyes are practically overflowing with it. I'm suddenly reminded that this is Hiccup, not Snotlout, not some village girl, but Hiccup. She's honest and kind, not superficial. She probably knows that I need my axe for dragon training and genuinely wants to take responsibility for the incident in the ring.

Hiccup starts fidgeting and I realize that I've been staring at her the whole time. Not wanting to seem creepy I shrug my shoulders and reply: "Have it your way," before heading for the door.

I feel a little light-headed as I go, maybe a little warmer than when I walked in, and suddenly I feel like talking to her, spilling my feelings out in a puddle at her feet. It's the first time I've wanted to tell her so badly and I angle myself so that I can look at her over my shoulder.

"Hiccup, I uh…"

She has a look on her face now, a sort of dullness around the eyes and a sagging of the shoulders. The elated warmth rising up in my gut is suddenly caught in a whirlpool, making my throat tighten around the words and refuse to let them pass my lips.

"…y'know what never mind" I say quickly before turning and heading home.

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"Ah Hiccup was wonderin' when ye were gonna' show up" Gobber said the following morning. I perked up at the mention of her name, turning to see her bent over with her hands on her knees. She was panting, having obviously run here.

"S-sorry" she wheezed, "overslept."

"Try not ta let it happen again" Gobber said before shouting for all of us to fall in line. Hiccup jogged over just as I started to take my place at the end, slapping my axe into my hand without meeting my gaze or giving me time to say thank you before heading over to stand next to Fishlegs.

It made me feel like even more of a jerk when I glanced down and saw that the metal had been buffed free of all grime and marks. The wood on the handle was filed free of splinters while the old, cracked leather grip was replaced with a new one and freshly oiled.

"T'day ye'll be taken on an old friend" Gobber said, already pulling the lever on one of the cages.

Snotlout and the twins groaned while Fishlegs looked like he was still severely questioning our instructor's methods. Hiccup seemed not to care. The door wasn't even fully open before the Gronkle burst forth, forcing everyone to scatter.

"Remember yer trainin' and try ta last as long as ye can with the beast!" Gobber called.

The dragon went after Fishlegs first, chasing him around the outer ring while he ran in what can only be described as panic. I went for one of the shields propped up along the wall, snagging it and catching a glimpse of Snotlout and Tuffnut doing the same on the other side of the ring.

I circled around, keeping my back to the wall and my eyes on the dragon. It took out Tuff right away, leaving his sister to take up the half-charred remains of his shield along with her spear. She banged them together to create noise, distracting the Gronkle while I moved in closer. It managed a semi-straight shot that splattered at her feet, some of the backlash catching her leggings.

She cried out and reeled back, offering the Gronkle another clear shot that decimated what remained of her shield. I watched her hit the ground, spear flung off to the side while she struggled to get the smoldering remains of her shield off her arm. "Ruffnut out!" Gobber called, her brother dragging her to the sidelines.

I held my axe high and charged across the arena. The dragon came after me, ducking down for a head butt. I dropped, intending to slide underneath the creature, but instead one of the rock-hard bumps on its hide smashed into my shoulder and sent me into an uncontrolled tumble. My axe skittered out of my hand when I hit the ground, the dragon brushing past me to higher altitudes.

"Aster out" Gobber called.

I scowled but complied despite still feeling perfectly ready for a fight, grabbing my axe as I bolted to the gate. Ruffnut was standing without her brother's help so her injury probably wasn't grave, she greeted me with a simple nod. I felt like burying my axe into the wall beside me but instead holstered it and focused my attention to the battle.

I turned just in time to see Hiccup move to punch the dragon. It collapsed right after being struck by her fist, then rolled on its side when she twisted her arm to the right. She brought her hand back, a touch of a smile on her lips, before turning her attention to us.

"So…uh, did I pass?" she asked.

I blinked, hardly believing what I had just seen and glancing to the others for some kind of confirmation. They were all as gob smacked as me, so at least I wasn't crazy.

Gobber was the first to react, stumbling to meet her as she strolled over and received a hardy pat on the back, "Great show Hiccup, ye did well lass." He kept his flesh hand around her shoulder, smiling widely as he addressed the rest of us, "Trainin' over for t'day, yer all dismissed."

He gave her another affectionate pat on the back before leaving to go shove the Gronkle back in its pen. Ruffnut approached her first, throwing an arm about her shoulders and giving her a shake. "Didn't know you had it in you Hiccup!" she said cheerfully.

Hiccup looked uncomfortable being hugged by the female Thorston, but she didn't say anything against it despite the obviously shaky smile she sported.

"Yea I mean how did you do that?" Snotlout continued, obvious awe in his voice. I wrinkled my nose, disgusted with him for doing a complete one eighty and trying to pretend that he hadn't been insulting her up until a few minutes ago.

Tuffnut shoved Snotlout aside and leaned in close to Hiccup, whose smile became more forced as her personal space was breached. "You just threw out your hand and it just fell over, like BAM!" Tuff said, throwing his arms out in illustration. My frown became more pronounced when I noticed his arm brushing hers but, once again, Ruffnut took care of it for me when she landed a strong right hook to his jaw.

"Back off moron can't you tell she doesn't want your ugly mug in her face?" she said, finally releasing Hiccup to hover over her sibling. Personally, I couldn't have said it better myself.

"What did you say you butt elf?"

The twin's squabbles faded into the background as Fishlegs approached, sidling up to stand almost as close as Tuff had. My teeth clenched more tightly together. What was with all these guys suddenly being so buddy buddy with Hiccup? Granted that she did well in dragon training and deserves the praise but none of them have shown her any interest other than to ogle her chest before now.

"So did you really punch it?" Legs' asked.

"Didn't you see? Of course she did!" Snotlout answered for her, clapping her on the back hard enough to make her cringe, "she's not my cousin for nothing after all!"

I almost scoffed. Hiccup and Snotlout are nothing alike, he should be claiming family relation to her, not the other way around.

"Uh…sorry guys but I think I forgot my axe in the arena so I'm just gonna'…" Hiccup stammered, slipping around her cousin and practically bolting back toward the arena.

The twins temporarily halted their fighting, staring at her retreating form with the rest of us.

"What's with her?" Tuffnut asked.

I wish I knew.

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 **For anyone who was wondering here's a bit more on the Hofferson family:**

 **Axel – eldest, approximately 22 years old. He was 10 when their father died.**

 **Calder – second eldest, approximately 20 years old. He was 8 when their father died.**

 **Halvar – middle child, approximately 17 years old. He was 5 when their father died.**

 **Aster – fourth child, 15 years old. He was 3 when their father died.**

 **Tait – youngest child, 12 years old, He was born a few months after their father's death.**


	2. Chapter 2

I gritted my teeth and threw my axe, frustration mounting when the blade only glanced off the Nadder's horn. The beast's attention was quickly drawn by the twins, who were fighting again, leaving me time to make a dash for my weapon.

"Remember ta stay light on yer feet!" Gobber called.

The smell of magnesium fire permeated the air while the twins ran for it, leaving their half-scorched weapons behind. The Nadder didn't pursue them, instead turning his attention to Hiccup. Oh no, no way was that thing going to try and fry her on my watch. I hefted my weapon over my shoulder and screamed a war cry as I charged, raising the blade high over my head.

The dragon turned toward me, cocking its head to the side. I was mere feet from it when its eyes fluttered and it dropped, hitting the ground with a dull thud. I blinked and stopped, skidding to a halt and dropping my weapon to my side. Hiccup stood on the other side of the downed creature, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her neck. She was halfway out of the arena before I could fully comprehend what had happened.

Later on that evening Hiccup showed up at the mead hall just as she usually did, speed walking past us and plopping down at her usual table. She'd barely taken a seat before half the hall swarmed her, all talking above each other in an attempt to be heard.

My eyebrows rose curiously, then shot down when I noticed Fishlegs and Tuffnut slipping into the spaces next to and across from her. She seemed to spare them more attention than the rest and an uncomfortable heat rose in my gut at the observation.

Perhaps she was paying Tuff more attention because he's loud and rowdy, kinda' hard to ignore. Fishlegs has always been at least civil to her, never malicious, so I suppose she naturally spares him more regard than most. Gods I haven't even thanked her for my axe yet, and she's always taken up a spot next to Fishlegs during training. Come to think of it she sat next to him at the bonfire too…

I raised my glass to my lips, knuckles going white around the mug as I watched Tuff throw an arm around her shoulders. She flushed an attractive shade of pink before Ruffnut hauled her twin off and knocked him under the table. Ah, good ol' Ruffnut always – Odin's beard did she just glance this way?

I almost spat out my drink when I realized that the female Thorston had indeed slid me a half smirk, her eyes moving meaningfully from Hiccup – who was preoccupied speaking to Hoark about her success in the ring – then back to me.

Perhaps I'm more transparent then I thought I was.

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The next day we're allowed shields along with our weapons before lining up. Apparently our days of dashing for protective equipment while trying to avoid getting flamed are over. I keep an eye on Hiccup as she takes her usual place next to Fishlegs, smiling more confidently than she did the first day we came together for dragon training.

' _Well she's had practice'_ I think dryly, _'she smiles at him every day.'_

Suddenly dragon training sounded like a great idea. Taking my anger out on one of those scaly beasties was just what I needed right now and I stood a little straighter as Gobber pulled the lever.

"This is the Terrible Terror" he called, the tiny flap I hadn't even noticed sliding back into place as the tiny dragon came into view. I felt myself deflate, my hopes for something bigger and more satisfying to defeat fluttering away with the breeze as I took in the small green creature.

"Ha!" Tuffnut cried, "it's like the size of my-"

It sprang forward suddenly, latching itself onto Tuffnut's nose. We all jerked back. I raised my axe an inch higher but couldn't throw it without hitting Tuff…huh maybe this would work out after all.

"Ow get it off!" Tuff yells.

I was still weighing the merits of trying to knock the thing off without taking the male Thorston twin's nose with it, and contemplating whether or not that should concern me, when Hiccup decided to act. She shifted her shield so that it reflected the sunlight, catching the creature's attention. Its pupils went wide as it leapt off its prey, chasing the light back through the cage door.

Hiccup shut it with her foot before walking over to Tuffnut, "You okay?" she asked.

"He's fine" Ruff answered, kneeling next to her fallen twin, "he's just being a huge whine baby."

Tuff shot to a sitting position, clutching his enflamed nose, "Who're you calling a whine baby!?"

"Did the dragon manage to gnaw off your ears too?" she drawled, "who else would I be calling a whine baby?"

"Uh…Tuff you should probably go get some kinda' cream put on that, Terrors are supposed to be venomous" Fishlegs broke in.

"Venom? Cool will I, like, sprout extra limbs or turn green or something?"

"No…but if you leave the bite to get infected there's a chance your nose could eventually rot off."

"Sounds cool to me" Tuff said.

Ruff rolled her eyes. I sighed and hefted my axe over my shoulder. Way too stupid to ever even try winning Hiccup over, looks like I was worrying for nothing at the mead hall yesterday.

"I'll go get Goethi" I said, turning to walk to the arena entrance.

The elder was standing off to the side just as she had been the past few days, long before there was a crowd. Gobber hung out near the metal grate that sealed the kill ring, saluting to the Goethi as we passed him. I frowned as we approached the group, taking note of the flush on Hiccup's cheeks and the obvious grin that Tuffnut was throwing her way. It was different from his usual grins, different enough to make the warm uncomfortable feeling burn hot as Nadder fire in the pit of my gut.

Okay so maybe Tuff still had a shot with Hiccup, probably just a small one though, like miniscule, the size of a grain of sand.

Without thinking I quickened my pace, leaving the Goethi to catch up as I stopped behind the male Thorston and planted my boot between his shoulder blades. I didn't do it hard, just enough to knock him off whatever game board he was playing on, I'm not so evil as to beat the tar out of an injured man after all. At least not without a bit more provocation.

"Got her" I said simply, gesturing to the Goethi, who stopped just beside me.

She knelt down next to Tuff as he sat back up, seeming to think it was Ruffnut who hit him despite her various claims that it had actually been me. I wasn't going to correct him. Eventually the Goethi got tired of their bickering and whacked both over the head with her staff.

I rolled my eyes and watched as she treated the complaining Thorston. My eyes drifted to Hiccup awhile later, once I'd become well and truly tired of hearing Tuffnut's whining, and almost started when I noticed she was gone. My eyebrows drew together as I uncrossed my arms and turned in a full circle, observing that most of the crowd had wandered off.

Including Hiccup apparently.

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I walked home from the mead hall later that night still pondering Hiccups strange disappearance this afternoon. It wasn't uncommon for her to disappear, she's been that way for as long as I can remember. Gobber doesn't seem very concerned so it's probably nothing but still…

Suddenly getting good at dragon training, disappearing after every lesson. Something wasn't adding up here. Maybe she's sneaking off to meet with someone? But who?

For a brief moment I consider that it might be Fishlegs, then I realize that has no basis. Fishlegs isn't that good at dragon training, he's probably the worst after Hiccup actually, the worst now that she's gotten better. Can't be her father, he's off searching for the dragon's nest.

Maybe it's someone from another village?

She did come to the mead hall that one night with a bunch of twigs stuck in her vest, probably a result of hanging around in the woods. It could be possible that she's been hiking to the far shore to meet up with someone and receive training.

' _Or you could just be overthinking things, maybe she's just tinkering with one of her inventions.'_

It was…possible, though she usually tests those either on the cliffs a bit higher up the mountain, in plain view of the village, or behind her house. Having taken more than one stroll through the market and subsequently past the Haddock household since training began I can be fairly certain that isn't the case. Not that I was _looking_ for her or anything but she wasn't behind her house. I couldn't make out any silhouettes hanging around the cliffs either.

' _Probably just paranoia, weird is Hiccup's normal, it's probably nothing.'_

I kept telling myself that but for some reason I just could't believe it. There's something about this whole thing that just feels… _off_. Like she's definitely hiding something.

Almost as if the Gods themselves heard my thoughts there was a loud clatter in the forge. I'm not sure when in my thinking-induced haze I'd managed to make it all the way to the smithy but I had and my eyebrows drew together when I realized that, once again, the fire wasn't lit.

My legs moved automatically, a strange blend of curiosity and suspicion driving them forward.

"Hiccup?" I called.

Almost immediately there was another clatter, followed by the shutters being flung open and Hiccup vaulting herself out to stand in front of me. Her hands were tucked behind her back, a nervous smile plastered on her face. It would have been as cute as the unguarded, happy smile she'd given me a few days ago if it didn't set off a few warning bells.

"Oh Aster! Aster, hi Aster! How nice to see you!" she said in a rush.

I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms, "I normally don't care what people do but you're acting really weird."

She winced and stepped back an inch, "Well…weirder" I amended.

"Oh…uh, haha" she stammered, taking another huge step back and hoisting herself up to sit on the window sill. Was she planning on making a run for it or something?

Apparently because the next second she had bolted through the shutters, causing a huge racket as what I assumed to be a huge stock of weapons clattered to the floor. I dashed for the door and cleared the threshold just in time to see the back door swing shut. By the time I flung it open again she was gone, which was understandable given that the smithy was situated at the crest of a cliff, just enough space behind to run around the building.

If she was fast enough to make it out the door before I got inside she's probably long gone now, swallowed up by the village back alleys. I let the door slam closed before making my way outside and returning to my trek home.

Okay, there's definitely something going on here.

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The ships returned early the next morning. Axel had already gone out for the morning catch and was no doubt delayed by the return of what remained of Chief Stoick's search party. That left the rest of us to eat without him while ma' defended the cooked egg and bacon on her eldest's plate with her wooden spoon. Halvar already had a sizable bruise on the back of his hand from getting too grabby.

"I took a peek from the roof earlier" Calver said, "looks pretty bad, only one ship made it back."

"Any word on the Chief?" ma' asked.

"Word has spread from the docks, he made it back" Halvar replied.

"Good, that daughter of his has already lost a mother, she doesn't need ta lose a father too."

Calver snorted, "Like Chief Stoick would actually be brought down by one of them beasties."

"Hear, hear" Halvar said with a smirk and a raised mug, "speaking of Hiccup I've heard that she's doing pretty good in the ring these days, regular talk of the town."

"I've heard the same" ma' confirmed, "Aster are the rumors true?"

I had half an egg shoved in my mouth when she asked and I answered with a short nod.

"Oh, are ye a little jealous of her success brother?" Calder said, elbowing me in the arm.

I glared over the rim of my cup and probably would have punched him if ma' wasn't watching. She didn't tolerate fighting at the table no matter how much one of us was begging for a beat down.

"I'll bet he is" Halvar broke in, "getting beat by the village runt."

"Careful boy that 'runt' as ye like ta call her will be Chief one day" ma' warned, taking a bite of her own food.

"Up until a week ago we all thought she'd be passed over for Snotlout" Calder scoffed, "whatever man she ends up weddin' will probably take over the Chiefdom anyhow."

"Huh, now that I think of it she's of marrying age isn't she?" Halvar asked absently, taking a sip of his drink.

"Maybe you could try for her then" Calder suggested.

I froze with half a piece of bacon between my teeth, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. Halvar seemed to consider it for a moment before answering, "A little too expensive for my tastes, would take me years to save up enough for a bride price."

"But once ye managed it ye'd be set for life!" Calder pointed out.

Halvar scoffed, "Then I'd have to lead the tribe! I'll stick with a less demanding profession thank you."

"Huh, maybe I'll go for it then" Calder said.

Ma' smiled, "That's the spirit boys! Hiccup is a fine lass, she's excellent at killin' dragons and has already managed her own hall for years, perfect lady for any one of ye."

This discussion was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. I fixed my eyes on my plate and stuffed a chunk of bread into my mouth.

"What's up Aster? You're being unusually quiet" Halvar said, raising a brow at me when I looked up.

"Probably just thinking about that girl he's wantin' to court" Calver said, "come ta think of it ye still haven't told us who she is Aster."

The grin he sent me made it clear that the conversation change was intentional, damn him to Hel. I downed what was left of my drink and stood from the table, making my way to the door. Nobody asked where I was going and I had no doubt that Calver and Halvar would be cackling like a flock of birds the second I was out of earshot.

Better than sitting there and taking the inevitable interrogation. They'd taken to bombarding me with questions about my 'Lady Love' as they had taken to calling her nearly every waking moment. It was almost insufferable.

Now in a considerably bad mood I hiked up the ill-used trails that led to Bucket and Mulch's farm, having already scheduled a full day of work to fill in the break in dragon training. I should probably rest for the final exam tomorrow but earning money is more important, I would need to start saving to start my own household pretty soon. Finding some kind of profession to work would probably be prudent too.

I made it to the farm in good time, grabbing the pair of filthy work boots that scarcely fit from the corner and lacing them up before heading over to muck the stalls. I was almost done by the time Bucket and Mulch stumbled inside, having evidentially finished grazing the sheep and yak.

"Oh Aster, good ta see ye here lad, we need ye ta scrub the food troughs before we fill 'em up again" Mulch said, hanging the curved walking stick he used to heard the flock on the hook by the door.

I suppressed the urge to grimace, cleaning out the troughs was one of the most disgusting jobs on the farm, right up there with gathering dung for fertilizer. But money was money so I kept my trap shut and nodded.

"The Chief's ship got back this morning" I said, knowing that they were pretty far out of the way here and probably hadn't gotten the news yet.

"Casualties?"

"Didn't have time to check before I left but apparently only one ship got back, the Chief was on it" I said, sweeping the last of the dung out of the final stall and placing clean straw on the floor to replace it.

"Figures, Stoick's always been strong, wasn't much doubt he'd make it back" Mulch replied.

"Aye" Bucket said.

"Heard durin' our last visit ta the village that Hiccup is top'a yer class. Any truth ta tha' lad?"

I simply nodded, hefting one of the smelly troughs and struggling to cart it outside. It was relatively warm, clear skies, perfect for a wash day. No wonder they wanted me to do the troughs today.

"-always knew her inner fire would light eventually!" Mulch exclaimed as I came back for the second trough, "She is Stoick's girl after all! No child'a his could ever be a weaklin'!"

"Eh, bu' isn' Hiccup always messin' up durin' th' raids?" Bucket asked.

"Tha' was before dragon trainin' Bucket" Mulch said gently.

Ever since Bucket had taken that hard knock to the head a while back the man had lost a considerable amount of memory and even more thinking power, which leads to his partner Mulch having to remind him of close to everything. Nobody can really find it in themselves to get mad at him though, he is a gentle giant if ever the village has seen one. Not a very acceptable thing among Vikings but Bucket has long paid his dues in many raids past so everyone overlooks it. Besides the man paints a mean portrait.

I placed the second trough next to the first and went back for the third, not paying attention to the back and forth conversation between Bucket and Mulch. It was normal for them to go into lengthy conversations in an attempt to help with the formers recollection.

Eventually Mulch got frustrated and addressed me, "So Aster how long'll ye be stayin' for t'day?"

"Until supper, we have a day off from dragon training, final exam's tomorrow" I answered.

"Ah, the final dragon trainin' exam! But shouldn't ye be restin' up, stead'a workin'?"

I smiled at Mulch as I passed them with another trough. They'd both taken a seat on the stools set up in the corner, no doubt sore from walking around with the livestock all morning, just like usual.

"I need the exercise to get a good night's sleep, otherwise I'll be up late" I replied.

"Ah, I see"

The conversation once again drifted to other channels, allowing me to finish cleaning the troughs without further interruption. I hauled them back into the proper stalls and filled them up, then went to work making the place spotless. Once all was clean again Bucket and Mulch led the animals back inside. It was barely noon, leaving plenty of time to gather milk from the yak and tote it half-a-mile to Gerda's house, where she would turn half of it into butter and cheese. The other half would remain milk and be distributed either to the village market or mead hall along with the butter and cheese.

I left with the cart I'd used to haul the barrels there, promising to come tomorrow afternoon to collect Bucket and Mulch's share of the earnings. By the time I made it back to their farm and stowed the cart away it was late afternoon, not quite late enough for the sun to start sinking over the horizon but definitely approaching suppertime.

Both Bucket and Mulch had already bathed using the water I'd hauled and offered me the tub as well, having already cleaned it for me. I smiled and gratefully accepted, having to haul another ton of water to fill it but feeling better when I was clean. My clothes were still filthy though, making me glad that I'd opted to wear my work attire today, and I grabbed the spare tunic and pants that I kept in their hut.

Ma' had forced me to keep spare clothing after I'd tracked mud on her freshly clean floor and I was grateful for it as I slipped my regular boots back on and waved goodbye to Bucket and Mulch, promising to come back for work after dragon training tomorrow. Thank the Gods I'd already finished the manure and cleaned out the stalls, they'd be good for at least three days like that.

By this time darkness was encroaching and I made it home just in time to keep my brothers from eating my share of the meal. Hiccup wasn't mentioned, luckily Calver was too busy staring off into space to irritate anyone tonight. Apparently he'd run into the timber gatherer's daughter, Hertha, as she was returning from a wood run with her father. She's rarely in the village because she spends most of her time scouting for timber.

Halvar laughed and elbowed Calver as he declared that he'd chosen his future wife, prompting ma' to clap in joy and Axel to smirk over his cup. Tait smiled wide as well, showing off his crooked front teeth.

I was just glad there wouldn't be any more talk of Calver marrying Hiccup.

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I woke up early the next morning and snagged a chunk of bread from our rations. Ma' probably wouldn't be happy about that but I needed to warm up before going into the ring. I'd gone to sleep early that night, aching muscles practically melting on the pallet and helping me to get a good, deep rest just as I'd intended by spending the day working.

The ache was still there but only as a shadow, something that I would easily forget about once I got my blood pumping. With that in mind I went to my favorite training spot, deep in the woods so that the timber gatherers wouldn't disturb it, surrounded on all sides with thick trunks, perfect for training.

I'm not sure how long I spent practicing my summersault dive and hurling my axe into trees before Hiccup appeared but the sun was more than a sliver on the horizon when she strolled out of the underbrush, clearly deep in thought. By that time my axe had already left my hand and I didn't have time to shout a warning before it imbedded itself in the trunk just shy of her head, tearing a startled shriek from her throat and making her reel back.

"Hiccup?" I said as I walked up to retrieve my weapon, "You need to be more careful, I could have cleaved your head in two."

The thought of my axe, the weapon that Hiccup herself had put considerable effort into, actually splitting her skull open made me feel sick to my stomach. I didn't even want to think about what I'd have to tell her father, he'd probably rip me in half with his bare hands before I could finish the sentence. I could accept that punishment though, accident or not.

I brushed those morbid thoughts aside, not wanting to think any further on them. I would have to remember to be more careful when I was out here training.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked.

"I um…uh…well…" she stuttered, making me instantly aware of her discomfort. She was hiding something, definitely, the look in her eyes is a little too similar to Tait's deer-in-the-torchlight expression, the one he got when he was younger and ma' would catch him pilfering sweets on the rare occasions we could afford them.

My gaze shifted from her face to her arms, noting the mess of leather she was carrying, "And what's that strange thing you've got there?"

She immediately hid it behind her back, now drawing my attention to the huge wicker basket, "Are those fish?"

"Uh…just going for a morning hike, trying to get the blood flowing before training you know" she said, shouldering the pack illustratively, "I went shopping this morning and decided that it would be quicker to just head out for a quick walk instead of dropping it home, y'know don't want to be late for dragon training today."

She laughed nervously, making me even more certain that she was hiding something. Hiccup is a little too expressive to actually pull off lying, one of the reasons I like her so much.

"What about that?" I said, gesturing to the mess of leather peeking out around her leg.

"Oh this!" she said, "One of my inventions! I've been trying to make improvements on it and thought that I'd scout out a place to test it while I was here."

Huh so she really had been working on one of her inventions. But no, the prickle of unease was still there, telling me that this wasn't what had her sneaking away every day. Or at least this wasn't all of it. Gods why can't I just let this go? She's given me the perfect excuse and yet I can't seem to shake the feeling that she's still hiding something.

' _Because Hiccup is basically an open book, it's easy to tell when she's keeping secrets.'_

"Another invention? Don't you not need those anymore with how well you're doing in dragon training?" I said absently, feeling a sudden burst of that prickling heat as I remembered Tuff and Legs' newfound interest, along with her menagerie of admirers.

"Ah well, I still like to tinker and you never know it might prove useful someday" she replied easily, seeming a touch more relaxed then she was a moment ago.

I couldn't help but scoff. Yeah that's all that she needs, to fix up one of her contraptions so that she can get even more recognition in the village and inevitably attract new suitors.

"Something wrong with that?" She asked.

"Well…" I said, suddenly detecting the hard edge to her tone and holstering my axe, running a hand absently through my messy braid. Gods why hadn't I bothered to fix it before I left this morning? At least make myself somewhat presentable. "It's just after your last invention…"

"After my last invention what?" she demanded, eyes narrowing in rare anger.

Oh Gods I don't think I can ever remember Hiccup being angry at anyone. I pulled on my braid and averted my gaze from those blazing green eyes, trying to come up with something to say to get myself out of this situation. That's what I get for being too wrapped up in my own jealousy to pay attention to a simple conversation.

Wait jealousy…

"Nothing, look I just figured that you would be more focused on training than building your contraptions now is all" I said, plastering what I hoped was a neutral look on my face before facing her again.

"Well I like my 'contraptions' as you call them and really it isn't any of your business whether I continue to tinker with them or not" she huffed, turning on her heel and heading further into the forest.

Okay so that was the wrong thing to say.

My mouth dropped open, probably to dig myself into a deeper hole, before snapping closed as she called: "See you at dragon training!" over her shoulder and disappeared into the trees.

I sighed deeply, feeling like the world's greatest idiot as I sat down on one of the huge boulders sandwiched between a pair of trees.

"Well that was smooth Hofferson" I muttered, "you managed to offend her, how much work does it take to actually offend Hiccup Horrendous Haddock?"

All because I was jealous…that prickling hot sensation that I've been feeling for days and couldn't quite put my finger on. Gods how idiotic can I be. Probably didn't notice because I haven't really felt jealous of someone since I was younger, back when I thought that my older brothers were the greatest warriors on Midgard.

Hiccup of all people, the Chief's daughter and her newfound popularity, brought this ugly thing out of me. Part of me actually felt like laughing as I came to the realization that I don't _want_ Hiccup to be popular. All that stuff that Calder and Halvar had been spouting at breakfast yesterday about proposing to Hiccup, that discussion was probably happening at two dozen breakfast tables across Berk. Most of those were probably graced with fine silver or metal utensils, unlike the crudely made wood of my household.

I leaned back against the boulder and stared up at the sky, it was already coloring an angry red with the sunrise. Should probably head to the training ring pretty soon. With that I heaved myself to my feet, having fully accomplished my morning workout, and started to the arena. While I walked a thought struck me: _'Maybe If I beat Hiccup in the ring today some of her popularity would dwindle.'_

It was a selfish thought, especially considering that Hiccup has been known as 'Hiccup the Useless' courtesy of Snotlout for most of her life. But it wasn't like I'd been holding back in the ring so far, aside from it simply not being in my nature I want to bring some honor home to my family.

' _Guess whatever happens, happens, then'_ I decided.

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The Gods must hate me.

Apparently the final exam is performed by the two top students in the class, which just so happen to be me and Hiccup. Why in Odin's name did this have to happen right after I managed to get her mad at me?

I ducked behind one of the obstacles as the Gronkle flew overhead, making a conscious effort not to meet Hiccup's eyes from where she was sitting next to me. Once the annoying buzzing of the dragon's wings had dulled enough to let me know that it was on the other side of the arena I make a dive for another hiding place, steadily making my way closer to it and further away from Hiccup.

I clutch my axe tightly in my hand as my back slams against the wood. "This time" I whisper, "this time for sure."

After another deep breath I jump up from my hiding place, vaulting over the chunks of wood standing between me and my adversary with a war cry. What I see has me pulling up short. Hiccup is leaning against one of the obstacles, smiling at the downed creature, its tongue lolling out of its open mouth. When she sees me she straightens, looking at it, then me, then back at the dragon.

My arms drop, eyes narrowing in frustration. I've always been at the top, that much hasn't been disputed since I was old enough to wield a weapon. I'm not sure if it's my feelings for Hiccup that kept me from realizing that she's taken my spot as our age groups prodigy or the deer-in-the-torchlight expression she's got on her face, the one she wears when she's obviously hiding something and struggling to figure out how to keep others from discovering it, but I'm suddenly swamped by the natural fury that comes from losing.

I curse and swing my axe once, hard enough to hear the whirr of air around the blade.

Hiccup uses my momentary distraction to head for the door, "Alright so…later" she says, only making it three steps before Gobber nudges her back with his hooked hand.

"Now hold on there lassie" the smith says.

"Well I'm kinda' late for-"

"What?" I ask, stepping in front of her, "late for what?"

She seems to shrink in front of me, eyes briefly shifting to the axe still clutched in one hand. Does she think I'm going to _attack her_? I was so repulsed by the thought that I opened my mouth to tell her so when her father's voice cut through the air: "Okay quiet down!" he shouted, "The elder has decided."

Gobber steps between us, hovering one hand over me. The Goethi shakes her head, making the crowd gasp. The smith drops his arm and lifts the other over Hiccup's head. This time she smiles, pointing at my crush with a single crooked finger and nodding. Everyone cheers.

Hiccup seems to wince at the praise, turning to look at me for a brief moment before her mentor pulls her into a one-armed hug. "Ye did it Hiccup!" he said happily, "ye get ta kill the dragon!"

He lets go just in time for the rest of the teens to rush over and lift her onto their shoulders. She smiles, though to me it looks forced, throwing her arms in the air as they carry her to the arena entrance.

Chief Stoick is practically beaming from the stands, looking happier than I can ever remember seeing him as his daughter is set down in front of him. Unexpectedly he wraps her in his beefy arms, almost making her disappear within his embrace. Everyone is surprised to see our normally stoic leader show such affection, judging by the flushed, wide-eyed look on Hiccups face she is too.

I follow behind the procession as it moves to the mead hall, gradually losing my anger as Axel, Calder, and Halvar show up to praise me for a good fight. Naturally Calder has to point out that I lost to a girl, the village runt turned hero at that, which leads to a round of heckling that doesn't end until ma' shows up with Tait in tow and reminds us all that the aforementioned 'runt' is actually the Chief's daughter. Then she pats me on the shoulder and gives brief praise before disappearing among the mass of partying villagers.

Eventually my brothers also vanish into the crowd and I forgo the food and drink, deciding to keep my coin, then head outside. Hours later, just as I'm considering tracking down Gerda and running the take to Bucket and Mulch, the halls great doors open to reveal Hiccup. Luckily I'm tucked away in the shadows, perfectly out of sight and able to see the smile fall off her face as she makes quick work of the stairs.

I don't know what compels me to follow but I do, tracking her to her home and then the woods. She's carrying the ratty satchel that she always keeps with her, along with a bigger bag.

' _Could be another one of her inventions.'_

Something tells me that it's not.

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"…leaving. That's it bud it's time to go, we're outta' here"

My eyebrows draw together as I peer over the shield jammed into the entrance. Is this where Hiccup goes every day? What does she mean leaving?

Her back is to me, which I use to my advantage, silently vaulting over the shield and making my way to the bags she's dropped. I pick up the larger of the two, my eyebrows rising as I flip the flap open and realize that it's full of necessities. A cold feeling of dread goes down my spine. She couldn't actually mean…

"You're leaving?" I blurt out, giving myself away, though I can't bring myself to care.

She froze, having never stopped her slow procession across the cove. I don't think I've ever seen her eyes as wide as when she turns to face me, mouth open in undisguised surprise. "I…uh…well" she stuttered, the color fleeing her face.

"Hiccup are you leaving?" I demand, that cold feeling of dread transforming into boiling anger.

How could she even consider leaving? From the sounds of it she intends to leave with someone else. Some dim part of me idly mentions that I should feel accomplished at having deduced that much right but I don't. In fact I don't think I've ever felt anything further from accomplishment.

I dropped her bag and stormed toward her, completely losing myself to emotion as I wrap my hands around her shoulders and give her a rough shake. "Answer me Hiccup!" I shout.

' _Tell me that I'm wrong…that you aren't really leaving.'_

"Why do you care anyway?" she shouts back, trying to jerk away from me.

An image of a little chestnut haired girl appears in my mind's eye, a handful of blue flowers extended toward me. Her smile is huge and disarming, more honest and heartwarming than anything I'd ever seen.

" _You get blue flowers, d'ya wanna' know why?"_

' _Ah, that's right'_ I think, idly aware that I'm pushing her away, letting her stumble back into a boulder, _'Vikings aren't allowed to have crushes, emotion is for wimp's right?'_

My mouth opens, fists clenched so tightly at my sides that I'm sure I'm cutting into the skin, but I check myself, those cursed words running through my head again: _…emotion is for wimp's right?_

"You've got to kill that Nightmare tomorrow, you're finally doing something right and now you want to run away?" I blurt out.

The wrong thing to say.

To my surprise and horror tears spring to Hiccup's eyes, she pushes herself off the boulder and finally gives me a straight answer. "Yes I'm running away!" she shouts, "Are you happy now? I'm a screw up, a moron that can't even stomach killing a dragon. I don't need you to tell me that, I know perfectly well how useless I am, that I'm not a Viking. I know that already and I don't need to hear any confirmation from you!"

"What are you-" I began.

"Like you don't know" she interrupts, "it's like you said earlier about me and my 'contraptions' all I can do is tinker, make perfume, and mess things up. That's nowhere near enough to be a Viking and everyone knows it. Someone like you could never understand how it feels so you don't get to tell me that running away is a bad idea, you don't have any right to tell me anything."

Tears stream down her face, making her green eyes appear overly bright. She tilts her head down to hide them, swiping at them with the corner of her sleeve.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

Guess that makes me a wimp then.

All the anger drains out of me at the sight of her tears and I step forward to wrap my arms around her. One hand rests on the small of her back while the other moves up to stroke her short hair. "You're right" I say, feeling her shiver against me as I continue to attempt comfort. Gods I am not good at this. Vikings aren't raised for this.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

I stomp down on the urge to pull away, to go back to blunt honesty. Hiccup isn't like everyone else, she needs a bit more delicacy than what the usual Viking way provides.

"I don't have any idea what it must feel like. But you're wrong about not being good at anything, I mean just look at how well you've done in dragon training-"

She shoves her fists against my chest, managing to get half a foot's distance between us before I can tighten my hold on her.

"Let me go!" she shouts.

"Will you just calm down and listen!?" I holler, aggravation rising to the surface. Why do I always manage to say the wrong thing?

"No now Let. Me. Go!"

A roar cuts through the air and my eyes widen as I identify the sound. I push Hiccup behind me, resolving to deal with whatever she's sobbing about after I assure her physical safety. My axe is out of its holster and in my hand when the beast appears around the rock.

It's like no dragon I've seen before, small and low to the ground with huge wings. Black as night with big green eyes and huge pupils that narrow when it spots us. "Run back to the village for help!" I shout. The dragon's lips draw back in a snarl, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. It roars and dashes forward, I hold my axe out at the ready. With Hiccup at my back I can't allow it to get past me.

I don't expect her to slide under my arm and knock me off balance, shoving me to the ground and sending my weapon off in another direction just as the snarling beast comes down on her. I expect it to tear her apart, leaving a mess of bones and flesh and blood with those claws. Instead it pulls up short, wings flaring while she holds her hands out and speaks soothingly to it.

"You scared him" she says, keeping the dragon back by pressing both hands to its skull.

For the first time I notice that its huge eyes are focused on me, not Hiccup.

"I scared him!?" I shout out, stumbling back to my feet before the words register, "Who…is him?"

"Uh…"

The dragon suddenly curls around her, growling and shoving her backwards. Right then I decide that whatever questions I have can be answered after I kill that thing and rescue Hiccup. With that in mind I steel myself and start inching backwards myself, in the same general direction my axe went after I fell. It was putting distance between me and Hiccup, giving the dragon time to fly away, but I could probably put my axe through its skull if it decided to take off. Same if it stayed on the ground, assuming I could get my hands on it before the thing pounces.

"Toothless…wait, no Aster!" Hiccup says. I don't take my eyes off the demon still wrapping itself around her.

"Will both of you just stop it!"

"Hiccup it's a dragon!" I shout.

"I can see that thank you" she replies dryly, "but he isn't dangerous."

"Not dangerous? It's a dragon!"

"Yet he hasn't killed me, so what do you have to say about that?"

That one gave me pause. Why hadn't the dragon killed her? It's not like it hadn't had the perfect opportunity, in fact it almost looked to be…protecting her. But that absurd, it's a dragon after all!

I chance a glance behind and see my axe less than a foot away. The dragon growls and I look up to find that its stopped backing away, now flaring its wings and crouching down, obviously ready to spring. Can I make it to my axe before the dragon makes it to me? The Nadder in the ring was pretty fast but definitely not fast enough to cover this distance in such a short amount of time, this one has much shorter legs too. Then again it crossed the clearing pretty quick when it attacked the first time.

I kept my eyes on the dragon as I debated which course of action to take. Hiccup shattered my train of thought when she jumped over the dragon, making it hiss and try to curl itself around her again. She danced out of the way and the creature huffed, though he kept his eyes on me, which was perfect if only Hiccup would _run_.

Instead she snorted, "Oh please he would have killed me a long time ago if he was going to hurt me."

Did…did she just address _the dragon_?

From the corner of my eye I saw her turn to me, "See, he's overprotective and a little whiney but not deadly."

A low growl.

"Yes, yes, adorable, strong, and smart too we know."

A whuff of…agreement?

Is she…actually carrying on some kind of conversation with that… _thing_?

For a moment I actually had the wild idea that this was all a dream. Maybe someone had given me some heavy mead at the hall and I'd conked out on a table. Ma' would shake me away and my brothers would laugh while she scolded me. Unfortunately the moment passed when I realized that the breeze against my arms was too real, as was the sunlight filtering through the trees.

"So this…this is…what?" I asked.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted" she glared at the dragon, who huffed in response, "Aster this is Toothless, Toothless, Aster."

The creature hissed, once again revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

Suddenly it all made sense, everything, her mysterious disappearances during the day, suddenly getting good at dragon training, the huge basket of fish – Thunder of Thor she's been _feeding_ this thing? Giving precious Berk catch to our greatest enemy.

"Is this how you've-"

"How I've gotten so good in the ring? Yes" she said, sounding just a touch guilty.

Gods I don't even know why I bothered asking in the first place. I already knew the answer.

"So all this time whenever you've disappeared from the village-"

"I'm usually here" she replied, seeming to completely deflate with the words, like she was admitting to some great sin.

Thor almighty why was I hoping that she'd say something different when I asked? Benefit of the doubt maybe?

Suddenly I felt betrayed and angry, mostly the former. My family barely makes enough to get by and she's been handing out barrels of fish – fish that my brother spends his days struggling to catch to provide for us and himself – to the damnable creatures that have been killing us for seven generations? Then she uses what she learns from this thing in the ring. She _cheated_ her way to the top of the class.

"You've been _cheating_ " I verbalize, still wanting some kind of denial, some kind of defensive retort or justification, "and lying, and coming here to be with that-that _thing_ instead of your own kind!"

"Toothless isn't a thing" she defends. Gods the first thing she does is defend the _dragon_?

"Besides it isn't like anyone ever asked where I was going-"

"I did" I spit back. She visibly winces, good, she should feel guilty.

"No wonder you don't think you can kill a Nightmare in the ring, you really _can't_ " I continued, "and here I was actually worried about you!"

"You were worried about me?" She asked.

My mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

"Does it matter?" I retort.

There isn't even a description for what I'm feeling anymore. It's a whirlpool of emotion and a few scraps of memories. I don't think I've ever felt so conflicted in my life. Sometime during our conversation I'd stopped inching toward my axe – the axe that Hiccup had fixed up for me – and started heading for the exit. I looked at the dragon, pupils narrow, mouth open to reveal those deadly teeth, this was the thing that I'd been training to fight. To protect my family, my village, _Hiccup_. I shook my head at her, hardly able to look at her before turning to run, vaulting over the shield and tearing through the trees.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

I still can't remember who it was that told me that. Maybe one of my brothers.

 _Calver's dazed expression as he thinks about Hertha….Axel's blush as we tease him about Bergljot._

' _Guess that makes them wimps then'_ I think idly as I tear through a clump of bushes, one of the branches nicking my arm. I'm in too much of a rush to notice.

Gods Hiccup of all people. She's the Chief's daughter for Thor's sake! Dragons killed her mother and force her father to go on uncertain voyages in search of the nest. They've killed her neighbors and friends-

 _Hiccup disappearing from the village is normal._

My step falters over a fallen log but I manage to jump over it and keep running.

That's right Hiccup never had any friends, at least not since we were all too small to understand what it meant to be born into a Viking village. She's always been an outcast, unique, it's because she's so different that I like her.

 _Vikings can't have crushes…_

My boots crunch over the dried leaves that litter the forest floor.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

The words wrap themselves around my throat in an attempt to choke me, making my breathing ragged. Or maybe that's from running for Thor knows how many minutes straight. Either way I don't care I need to keep going. I'm not sure why that is but the need to keep running is overpowering. It doesn't matter right now what comes after just so long as I keep running, so long as I fight off the wave of emotions churning in my stomach and get that Odin damned mantra out of my head.

… _emotion is for wimp's right?_

I can see the edge of the forest. Somewhere in the back of my mind I plot out a course for the Chief's house, he'll be the one who needs to know first after all. Probably won't be a nice conversation, I'm actually more than a little likely to get maimed halfway through, but I'll figure that out when I get there.

Or if I get there.

The next second my left arm is trapped in a dragons talons and I curse as I'm lifted off the ground, managing to twist my head just enough to see that it's the same dragon that Hiccup had in the cove. They swooped over a tall pine and dropped me on one of the tallest branches. I grabbed for purchase on the rough pine while Hiccup and her creature further complicated things by landing just beside me and tilting the entire tree sideways.

"Just listen to what I have to say!" she shouts.

"Why the Hel should I listen to anything that you have to say!?" I call back.

"Because you aren't getting down until you do."

Okay, that's some serious incentive.

"I know that this goes against everything that we've ever been taught and is probably the most insane thing you've ever heard in your entire life-"

I snorted. That's putting it mildly.

"-but I'm asking you to let me show you. Please Aster."

She reaches a hand out toward me and I glance at the dragon. It hadn't taken its eyes off me since the tree had settled and looked no more pleased than I was to be here. I took her hand, pushing down my discomfort at actually being able to relate to the thing and pausing when it growled. Hiccup gripped my forearm and helped me onto the saddle – looking for a good testing site my arse – while I scooted as far back as I could without falling off the dragon.

"Now get me down from here."

"Toothless" she said sweetly, "down, gently."

It spreads its wings, apparently intending to follow her orders. I keep a grip on the saddle just in case, which turns out to be a good idea as the beast launches up in a near vertical takeoff. I can't help myself I lurch forward, wrapping both arms around Hiccup while I scream. I don't even care that it's probably the most undignified sound I've ever made as the air whips around my face.

"T-Toothless!" I hear Hiccup shriek as the dragon makes a sharp dive back down. Water sprays us at the same moment that the salty breeze reaches my nose. We're over the Ocean!?

"We need him to like us!" Hiccup shouts.

The creature shoots up again, curling one of his wings and sending us into a twirl. "And now the spinning" she says dryly. Gods in Asgard how can she sound so calm!? "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

Suddenly we're twirling again but this time I can't tell which way is up and which is down, pressing my face between Hiccup's shoulder blades. "Alright! I'm sorry alright!" I shout, having finally had enough, "I apologize so just let me off this thing."

The wild wind stops and I hesitantly open my eyes to see that we're gliding over the clouds, a beautiful sunset lighting up the island. My hands tighten around Hiccup and she yelps, folding her elbows and catching one of my wrists. It's then that I realize there's something…soft…under my palm. I jerk both hands back with a very high-pitched, "Sorry!" scooting back on the saddle and gripping the leather like a lifeline, which it probably is now that I've let go of Hiccup.

"It's….okay, just…keep them a little lower alright?" she replies.

It might just be the sunset but I could almost swear that the tips of her ears were red.

I swallowed thickly and reached to wrap my arms tentatively around her waist, only tightening my hold when the dragon made a slow circle above the clouds, then below them again. It was like flipped sides of a coin, one day and one night.

We swept below the clouds to see that darkness had descended on Berk, a perfect view of all the lights flickering in the homes below. The guardians are lit too and we swerve around them, giving me a front view of the giant statues I'd seen my entire life. Having never left Berk I had only seen their backs and profiles, never their fronts.

It almost seemed…as cliché as it sounds….magical.

"Okay" I breathed, watching the trees pass us in a blur as we soared over the forest, "I have to admit that this is pretty amazing…he's amazing."

Gods is this how Hiccup sees the world? Suddenly it feels so much bigger than I remember, like a whole new realm of possibilities instead of just…Berk.

"Right?" Hiccup said cheerfully in response.

Then suddenly it hits me, the Nightmare, the kill ring…

"But Hiccup your final exam is tomorrow you do realize you're going to have to-" I paused, then whispered, "kill a dragon."

"Don't remind me."

The dragon suddenly goes rigid and dives, "Wha- Toothless?" Hiccup says, clearly confused as he starts to move away from Berk, out toward the ocean.

"Bud? What's wrong?" she asks.

A roar sounds off to the left and we both tense. My eyes scan the darkness, focusing on a shadow moving alongside us. It gets closer and I realize that it's a Monstrous Nightmare. Before I have time to come up with a plan because _I left my axe back at the cove and its pretty obvious that Hiccup isn't carrying anything_ , there's another sound to the left.

I whirl around and see that this one is a Zippleback, much closer than the Nightmare and – oh Thor's lightning one of the heads is looking at us. My hands tighten around Hiccup's waist as the thing stares at us for a brief moment before returning its attention to the front. I let out a breath I hadn't noticed I'd been holding.

"Get down!" Hiccup hisses over her shoulder, pressing herself close to Toothless' back.

I do the same, leaning down as far as possible while covering her tiny form with my own. The sweet scent of flowers tickles my nose but I ignore it for now, instead working on putting as much of me between her and these things while more of them appear.

It's only with their increase in numbers that I realize their all carrying things, livestock, fish, whatever you can name I can guarantee you one of the beasties in this menagerie had it.

"Looks like their hauling in their kill" I whispered to Hiccup, then paused as the implications of that sunk in, "but what does that make us?"

My eyes stray to the black dragon below us. Hiccup might trust Toothless but given the circumstances I feel that I have the right to reserve judgement, especially when we start approaching the thick coat of smoke that I recognize as Helheim's Gate and begin weaving through the sea stacks hiding within its mist, eventually coming out in a hollow mountain full of lava and dragons.

"What my dad wouldn't give to find this…" Hiccup whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear as Toothless breaks off from the rest of the pack and slides into one of the higher rocky shelves set up along the walls. From that perch we watch as the hunting party swoops over the center pit, dumping their catch into the smoke.

"Well it's satisfying to know that all our food is being dumped down a hole" Hiccup says dryly.

"They aren't eating any of it" I reply, suddenly curious as a Nightmare swoops down to dump a fish carcass big enough to feed it and then some into the smoke. It didn't even stop to see its catch disappear, simply flying up to perch on one of the higher cliff faces.

The last of the pack comes in the form of a jerky Gronkle. It keeps losing altitude and shooting back up again, almost like it'd downed an entire barrel of mead. The dragon seems content with itself as it stops in the center of the cavern, regurgitating a slab of fish before scratching behind its ear, tongue lolling out to one side.

I have to blink to convince myself of what I'm seeing, still unused to my sworn enemies looking so…harmless. In that moment there was a great rumble that reverberated through the cave, making the Gronkle's eyes, which had been previously closed in contentment, shoot wide open. It flew for the closest wall but barely made it three feet.

Out of nowhere a leviathan rose from the smoke, snapping its jaws closed around the Gronkle. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered Hiccup stiffening in time with my jaw dropping. That thing was huge! It could probably fit another two dozen Gronkle's in that maw easy!

"What…was that?" I breathed, some part of my hoping that Hiccup had some kind of answer. She had been hanging around with a _Night Fury_ after all, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine that she at least had some kind of idea. Her lack of response was enough of an answer.

The giant head had disappeared back through the smoke after its meal but now reappeared, nostrils flaring. My hands tightened on Hiccups waist as a very bad feeling started growing in my gut.

"It's time to go Toothless" Hiccup says.

One of its huge pupils swivel toward us, Odin it sees us.

"Now!" Hiccup snaps just as it lunges and I hang on as tight as I can when Toothless shoots into the air along with every dragon in the vicinity. We swerve to miss the sea of moving bodies. I can barely hear a crunch and loud roar, clear indicative that someone just got munched, over the panicked sounds of the other dragons. The relief I feel when we burst out of the mountain and fly back to Berk can't be accurately described in words, though if I had to I would say it was partially thanks to the Gods that we made it out in one piece.

It was only when our island was in sight that I relaxed my death grip around Hiccups waist, though the thoughts had been pinging around in my head for a considerable while after we'd escaped. Breaking the silence I gave them voice.

"That-that was the nest" I said as we finally passed the line of trees, making our way toward Raven's Point, "but those dragons dropped all their food into the hole…that huge mouth…why would they get food for it and not themselves though…"

"No it totally makes sense" I said, half to myself, as we came in for a landing, "it's like a bee hive, they're the workers and that's they're queen."

I slide off Toothless almost subconsciously, offering Hiccup my hand when my feet are firmly on the ground. She looks stunned, even more so than I am, and takes it readily. With my mind occupied by the monster we'd just seen I barely notice that she doesn't let go of my hand after she's firmly settled on the ground, though it still sends a warm tingle up my arm when I do notice.

"We need to go find your dad" I say.

She isn't looking at me, her eyes trained on the ground, but her reaction is instantaneous. Her hand tightens around mine, further reminding me that _she's still holding my hand,_ as she spits out a blunt "No."

"No? Hiccup we just found the nest, the thing that we've been after since Vikings first sailed here, why shouldn't we tell him?" I ask incredulously.

Surely she can't actually sympathize with the thing? It ate its own _kind_ for Gods sake.

"Because he'll kill Toothless" she replies.

I can't help myself, I scoff, of course it's about Toothless.

"Your pet dragon?"

She let's go of my hand and finally lifts her head to meet mine. I'm once again mesmerized by her eyes, so green, and the way she's looking at me... Hiccup's eyes are usually shy and hesitant, she's always been more of the kind to just go along with what everyone else was saying or doing. She never did it like they did though, always adding her own weird flair to it. I can't remember seeing her look determined before, only nervous, kind, sometimes irritated. But right now those green orbs are on fire, burning into mine with an intensity I didn't even know she possessed.

Her shoulders are straight, adding to the power of her stare. For the first time in a long time Hiccup doesn't look like she's trying to fold in on herself. She's determined and despite not being muscular, or wielding a terrifying weapon in either hand, she looks powerful.

"He's more than just a pet" she says, "It-it's hard to describe but he's way more than that."

She won't budge on this and I'm damned near floored by that fact. All that I can do is stand there and wonder when the sweet little girl I knew from my childhood turned into this. The warmth at the center of my chest intensified, letting itself trickle into the rest of my limbs like the sweetest of honey.

I exhale a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, "Okay, so what should we do?"

She smiles, a beautiful grin full of teeth, effectively stunting my breathing once again. Gods is she really not doing this on purpose?

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something" she responds.

I can't help it, I laugh. It's just such a Hiccup thing to say and for some reason I'm completely confident that she actually will come up with something brilliant that will fix everything. "Well not to rush you or anything but you might want to think of it by tomorrow, after seeing your little display I don't think I'd be able to watch…you know if…" I trail off meaningfully.

The statement makes her smile droop and I mourn for its brilliance. I had been nervously playing with my braid, an old habit that I need to remember to break at some point in the near future, but now dropped my arm to my side and stepped forward.

There was hardly any distance between us and I consider it a good sign when she doesn't back away. Emboldened I lift one hand to pinch her cheek. "Ow!" she cries out and I smirk when she jerks back and brings her hand up to rub the abused skin. The look in her green eyes is priceless, the purest of confusion, like she'd expected me to do anything but that.

"That, was for kidnapping me" I say.

She pouts and opens her mouth to reply, an adorable reaction that hasn't changed at all from our childhood, but I'm already leaning forward. Clutching to the last vestiges of my courage I ghost my lips across hers. She doesn't move, doesn't protest, and I can't tell if that's good or bad. Maybe it's just a delayed reaction, but my mind instantly throws all other thoughts away as I register how _soft_ her lips are. Then comes the sweet scent of flowers and goat's milk soap, along with the underlying smell of the smithy. Gods it's probably the most wonderful thing to ever assault my senses, which makes it difficult to pull away.

My eyes had slid closed once I'd leaned in and when I open them the first thing I see are Hiccup's wide green orbs. She stands there, stiff as a board, just staring at me.

"That was for…everything else" I say, unable to think of anything else and feeling all the more stupid for it as my nerves finally take control. I dash for the entrance, barely slowing enough to snatch up my axe before vaulting over the shield and into the woods.

The strange warmth was still humming in my veins, along with a sense of exhilaration that hadn't been there before.

' _Gods…I just kissed Hiccup'_ I thought, then aloud: "I kissed Hiccup."

I couldn't help it, I pumped my fist in the air, feet leaving the ground as I let out a loud whoop of joy. It was childish and I would be horribly embarrassed if anyone were to hear, especially Hiccup, who I should be most concerned about considering that I'd just left her back there and wasn't sure if I was out of earshot yet. But at this moment I didn't really care, deciding to revel in the excitement while it lasted.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up early the next morning and went to Gerda's house to collect the take for Bucket and Mulch. She's awake, as expected, churning butter. Luckily she didn't reprimand me for not coming as I said I would yesterday, brushing it off by saying that the dragon training final exam day is busy for all, especially the students. Gerda always was one of the kinder of the village mothers, she even went so far as to pat me on the shoulder and say that there's no shame in losing to a Haddock.

I didn't reply to that, simply smiling and nodding before taking the money and heading up to Bucket and Mulch. They were also awake, having apparently taken the animals out for some early morning grazing so that they could catch Hiccup's performance later.

"Ah Aster" Mulch greeted, "no need ta clean the stables t'day lad, we're all gonna' go down and watch the dragon killin'."

I held up the bag of coins, "Just came to drop off the take."

"Aye? Tha's good then, just put it on the table and we'll all go, looks like it's almost time."

I did so and decided to walk along with the two older men to the kill ring. It was difficult to slow my pace, but I managed, allowing Mulch to use my shoulder as leverage whenever he had a difficult time getting down a particularly steep incline or hard mound.

"Aster shouldn't ye run on ahead? Get yerself prepared ta slay the beastie?" Mulch queried.

"Hiccup's the one that'll be killing the dragon" I replied.

"Aye?" the older man breathed, "I knew the girlie was gettin' better but tha' good?"

I nodded, "The elder chose her."

"Ah, s'alright lad" he said, patting me on the shoulder, "no shame in losin' to a Haddock, I remember when Stoick was young. Could level an entire armada he could, aye, Bucket and I saw him when we had a skirmish with the Berserkers years ago. Man fought like Thor almighty was at his arm…"

Mulch continued to ramble until Bucket broke in with his usual forgetful inquiry, which set them on a completely different discussion. I kept walking, extremely annoyed and hoping that I would only hear that twice today. Yes, I very much like Hiccup and don't feel inferior to her, especially after learning that her methods aren't as forceful as she led everyone to believe, but at the same time it's extremely frustrating to have people apologizing for my 'loss.'

We entered the village and I parted ways with Bucket and Mulch. Instead of joining the crowd that had gathered to hear the Chief's pre-battle speech I went to the entrance of the arena. As expected Hiccup was there, adjusting her helmet and fidgeting nervously.

"Hey" I greet.

Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with this greeting. Once the elation had died down the night prior a thousand worries had crowded my mind. She hadn't exactly reacted to the kiss and it's not like I'd asked first. Gods I don't even know if she likes me or not. All that I've ever really done is be rude and accidentally grope her. For all I know she could like someone else, like Fishlegs, or Hel maybe even Tuff.

Needless to say, sleep had been a bit elusive last night.

But now she turns to look at me, so obviously nervous and scared. I try to smile, but only partially manage as I put a hand on her shoulder, not quite confident that I'm allowed to hug her.

"You be careful with that dragon alright?"

It's the only thing I can think to say. Now isn't the time to ask about the kiss. She has bigger problems. Hiccup glances over her shoulder and I briefly follow her gaze to Chief Stoick, who is taking his seat on the Chief's viewing platform.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about…" she replies.

I gulp down my concern and place both hands on her shoulders. She might not be concerned about the giant fire-breathing lizard, but I certainly am.

"What are you gonna' do?" I ask when her green orbs meet mine.

"Put an end to this."

I don't like the sound of that, she looks nervous and resigned and determined. Whatever she's planning to do I know that I'm not going to like it. So I wrap my arms around her, wishing that she could stay here instead of going out there. To my surprise, she returns the affection, fisting her hands in my tunic and making my heart flip excitedly despite the anxiety.

Does this mean…?

"You'll be fine" I whisper, "you survived a Night Fury after all, the unholy offspring of lightning and death, what's one little Nightmare compared to that?"

Her grip tightened, "I told you it isn't just the Nightmare…"

I pull away, smiling much more genuinely and allowing my hands to rest on her waist, "As far as you should be concerned it is."

She smiled at that, looking brighter than I'd seen her all day.

"Well, well, well…"

We both jerk and turn to see Gobber sauntering over, preparing to open the metal grate that seals the arena entrance.

"Wasn't aware'a this happenin'…"

Hiccup flushes while I attempt a smile, though it doesn't quite come out right if the smirk on Gobber's face is any indication. Or maybe that's just because we haven't let go of each other yet.

"I'll give ye a moment, but be quick about it, gotta' start soon" the smith says with a wiggle of his brows.

Oh great Odin's ghost I hope he doesn't tell Stoick before all this is over. I'm worried enough that Hiccup will be injured in whatever crazy scheme she's got going, I don't need to be almost killed by her father on top of everything else.

Said girl chooses this moment to tug me close again, lifting herself up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear: "If something goes wrong…make sure they don't find Toothless, can you promise me that?" she asks.

The question strikes me like a bolt, making my concern increase tenfold. Gods what is this crazy girl planning? My hands tighten around her waist, not wanting to release her all the more now that I know whatever she's thinking could end in horrible injury or something more permanent.

"Promise me that nothing will go wrong" I reply, uncaring for the note of desperate concern I'm certain is displayed in my voice.

"Promise me" she insists.

The strong tone is just like the one she used in the cove last night and I only hesitate a moment before nodding. As if I could actually say no to that?

She pulls back with a smile. It's so much brighter than it was before, but I can't bring myself to feel any accomplishment in that as she replies with a simple "Thank you."

The metal grate opens behind her and she turns to go, having broken our embrace when she received my agreement. Damned if this isn't bittersweet. I've actually managed to create some kind of relationship with the girl I've had in my thoughts for years and now she's off to do who knows what for the good of the tribe. I know she's the Chief's daughter and aside from it being part of her responsibility as the heir of Berk it's also just her nature, but it's irritating to know that I can't do a thing for her.

Helplessness has never been something that I've had the misfortune of feeling. I've always been strong, capable, the best fighter of my age group. Yet right now there's nothing I can do, which is potentially worse than anything else. I'm concerned, it would be a grievous lie if I were to say that I weren't, but not being able to help makes me feel worse, fidgety, even more concerned than if I was out there fighting with her.

The grate is half-way open when Hiccup suddenly spins around and throws her arms around my neck. I stagger, but don't step back and before I have time to ponder on what she's doing her lips are on mine. It's soft and sweet, just like the one I'd planted on her last night. She's gone before I can react, spinning around again and entering the arena.

I'm so astonished that I don't move, even when Gobber walks over and slaps me on the back almost hard enough to topple me.

"Seems ye've captured my wee lass's attention ye have, never seen her so bold before" the old smith says, good hand still resting on my shoulder. Without warning it tightens, almost making me wince under the pressure. "Be warned though, if ye hurt her ye'll be swimmin' with the sea serpents, flesh stripped clean from yer bones. Be beggin' for Helheim's mercy after I get through with ye."

Looking into those blazing blue eyes I believe him and nod silently. He releases me, once more his cheerful self as he answers with a simple: "Good" before walking over to lower the grate. I watch him stumble away, still a little floored both by the kiss and the death threat.

"Might want ta talk with Stoick about this before long, he may not be as easy about it as I am" Gobber said with a wave of his prosthetic hand before disappearing around the corner.

Oh Odin that was easy?

For a moment my mind filled with all the very graphic ways that conversation with the Chief could end. None of them weighed in my favor. I forced those concerns down and turned back to the arena, noting that Hiccup had already chosen a shield and weapon. She exhaled a breath and declares herself ready, prompting whoever was working the cage to lift the weight and release the beast.

The doors burst open, covered in flames, and the long shape slithers out. It roars and charges along the wall, sending a burst of fire out into the crowd. The Vikings in that area expertly dodge the blast without so much as a change of expression before moving in to crowd the vacated area once again. The Nightmare comes to rest at the highest point of the dome, hanging from the chains and extinguishes its fire before twisting its neck around to zero in on where Hiccup is standing.

I can't help but tense as it drops down from the dome, landing on all fours directly in front of Hiccup. She isn't at all fazed, keeping her eyes locked with those huge yellow orbs as it makes its way toward her. Much to my and everyone else's surprise, she backs up a few steps, dropping her shield and knife as she goes.

Is this how she befriended Toothless?

Murmurs break out in the crowd, but I ignore them, watching intently as Hiccup holds her hands out in a placating gesture.

"It's alright" she says, sounding for all the world like she's talking to a wary child and not a fire-breathing lizard, "you're okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

Gods is she seriously trying to befriend a dragon in front of the entire village? I can't help but smile as I realize that's exactly what she's doing. It's so simple, so crazy, so Hiccup.

The dragon stops advancing and Hiccup stops backing up. Her hands move slowly as she reaches up and removes her helmet, suddenly looking determined as she momentarily breaks her gaze with the dragon to stare up at her father. I spare him a glance and notice that he is definitely not happy.

The Chief is no doubt even less happy when his daughter returns her gaze to the dragon and throws the helmet down. "I'm not one of them."

My eyes widen while the arena erupts in a series of gasps, the murmuring returning tenfold after the quiet caused by her removing the helmet.

"Stop the fight" Chief Stoick says, standing from the stone chair he'd taken a seat on.

"No!" Hiccup protests, still not taking her eyes off the beast, "I need you all to see this."

The dragon actually _looks_ calmer, eyes half-lidded, pupils more circular, no smoke puffing from its nostrils. I can't help but feel pride for her accomplishment, a feeling that is almost overshadowed by a strong burst of worry when she inches her hand toward the Nightmare's snout.

This is much different from seeing her interact with Toothless. There's something between Hiccup and that dragon, something that's much deeper than whatever connection she has with this Nightmare. What she's doing right now still has the scent of danger all over it.

"They aren't what we think they are…" she continues, her hand still inching toward the dragon's snout.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Stoick shouts, banging his hammer against one of the arena bars.

The Nightmare's eyes shoot wide, pupils once again narrow, and Hiccup barely has time to pull her arm back before its jaws snap shut. She screams and dashes away when the thing starts spewing fire.

"Hiccup!" I shout, grabbing a single-bladed axe from the wall and using it to prop the grate open just enough for me to slip under.

The Nightmare's jaws are wide open, perfectly prepared to swallow her whole and I frantically search for something that I can use. There's a hammer on the ground near me and I snatch it up eagerly, heaving it across the room and nailing the Nightmare in the side of the skull. Hiccup manages to get half-way around the arena in the time it takes for it to recover.

When it finally shakes itself free of the resulting daze its eyes lift to me. I dash away a second before it charges, scrambling over the overturned weapons, in too much of a hurry to consider stopping to grab anything.

"This way!"

I glance out of the corner of my eye and see Chief Stoick standing at the open entrance. Without thinking twice I dash for it. Once I'm within reaching distance the Chief pulls me behind him before holding out his arms for Hiccup. She's almost there, a mere foot away, when a sudden burst of fire narrowly misses her.

She screams and has to change direction as the Nightmare charges again, leaping into the air and bringing its long talons down to trap her underneath. From where I'm standing I see her eyes widen as the dragon's head rears back, getting ready for the killing blow.

Without thinking I try to surge forward only to be held back by the Chief.

The air is full of screams, panicked Vikings all shouting like that's going to help anyone.

My mind suddenly flashes to the kiss that Hiccup laid on me before she went into the ring, the sweet scent of flowers and soap. Then the image of her in the waning light, crimson sunset bringing out the red in her hair as we rode above the clouds on Toothless.

Toothless…

How am I supposed to tell Toothless?

Before I can ponder it further or renew my efforts to break free of Chief Stoick's hold the familiar piercing shriek fills the air and I grow still.

No way…but it's impossible…

A moment later the arena explodes, filling the area with a cloud of smoke. I can't see anything but over the dragon roars I can hear Vikings shouting.

"Night Fury!"

"Somebody get in there and help them!"

I don't know if I've ever been gladder to see the black outline of Hiccup's dragon as both he and the Nightmare come crashing through the smoke. The Nightmare is on top, clamping his jaws on the smaller dragon's front foot only to receive a strong smack from the opposite paw. The force is enough to knock the larger creature back and Toothless jumps to his feet, snarling and showing his teeth in clear warning. Much the same as he'd done to me the day prior.

The Nightmare attempts to dive around the Fury and is constantly blocked, finally running off when Toothless gives a particularly nasty snarl and lunge combination. Hiccup is beside her dragon the next moment, green eyes sweeping to the Vikings that are now pouring into the arena.

Her lips are moving, but I can't hear her over all the shouting. It's plain to see that she's telling Toothless to run though, if the way she's pushing on his skull is any indication. The dragon is obviously opposed to leaving as he refuses to move, eyes sweeping the arena.

It's only when Chief Stoick lets out a cry and charges forward wielding a hammer that the dragon's ear-flaps shoot up and he rises from his crouched position. The offspring of lightning and death itself charges through the mass of Vikings, heading for The Chief and batting anyone else away.

He's even deadlier then I remember him being, moving with a swift grace that none of us could ever hope to match. Toothless pounces when he gets within range of Chief Stoick, sending them both into a barrel roll that ends with the latter pinned to the ground. The dragon opens its mouth, green gas building in its throat as it prepares to finish the fight.

"NO!" Hiccup shouts, this time loud enough to be heard over all other sound.

Amazingly Toothless defers to her, lowering his head and turning to stare at her over his shoulder. Unfortunately one Viking takes advantage of the dragon's momentary distraction and surges forward, knocking him in the head with a hammer and stunning the Fury enough for five more Vikings to pile on top of him.

Hiccup cries out and charges forward. I finally break out of my daze and dash over to her, managing to wrap my arms around her waist before she reaches her trapped dragon. She struggles and shouts, almost convincing me to let her go when she shouts desperately: "NO! Don't hurt him! Please!"

Then someone offers her father an axe.

Hiccup screams, a horrible sound that feels more like a physical blow as she redoubles her efforts. I can tell she's crying despite not being able to see her face, begging and pleading for me to let her go. It takes a lot of willpower not to.

Fortunately, Chief Stoick rejects the weapon, simply telling the men to put Toothless away with the others before heading toward us. Hiccup has stopped struggling, but her shoulders continue to shake as she cries. I don't want to let go of her, but the Chief doesn't give me much choice, wrapping his meaty hand around her arm and dragging her away without so much as a glance in my direction.

I can see the tears cascading down her cheeks now as she strains to look back and I follow her eyes to Toothless, his pupils momentarily widen, letting me know that he caught her gaze. The sad croon that the creature releases is almost as heart wrenching as Hiccup's scream. I'm glad that she's already gone from the arena when one of the men jabs a hammer into Toothless' cheek, yelling at him to be quiet a second before he's dragged out of sight.

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I sneak off without talking to anyone.

People will obviously be curious, I mean I was the first to jump in to try and save Hiccup. Not to mention that I was the one to hold her back when Toothless exploded into the arena. Then again, they all might be a bit too struck by the capture of an elusive Night Fury to pay much attention to my part in all of this.

Regardless I was much more concerned about Hiccup than any of that and only stuck around long enough to make sure that Toothless was alright before heading off in search of her. By the time I made it back to the village it was bustling and I managed to get the details for a passerby.

Chief Stoick has found a way to the nest.

The Night Fury is going to lead them there.

Obviously Hiccup's chat with her father didn't go well and I gave the passerby a short thanks before running off to search for her. It took hours, long after the ships had disappeared over the horizon and the sun was high in the sky.

She was standing on a cliff's edge, just standing there. I felt like I was intruding and decided to stay silent until she noticed me. When her green eyes briefly flicked over her shoulder I knew that she had and, ignoring how bloodshot those normally bright eyes were, responded with a tentative question.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to face me, raising her eyebrows in an exaggerated question.

"Right…sorry, you've lost your best friend, your tribe, and your only family all in the same day."

"Thanks for summing that up" she says, voice rough, and I almost wince as I realize that it's probably from crying, "Gods I should have just killed him…why couldn't I just kill him when I found him in the woods?"

"I've been wondering that myself" I say, "anyone else would have, so why didn't you?"

I can somehow tell that this is different from the conversations we've had before, the one's I botched clinging to the old Viking blunt honesty approach. Hiccup might be more delicate than most and often require a more delicate approach to things, but right now she's lost her determination. If she's going to fix all this then she's going to need to get that back. Blunt honesty is what she needs right now, something that gets her moving again. Something to get that usual spark back in her green eyes.

"Does it matter now?" she asks, kicking a loose stone over the cliff's edge.

"It matters to me."

She groans and I can tell she's getting frustrated. Good, she needs to get angry.

"I couldn't kill him…are you happy?" she asks, "I'm the only Viking who was unable to kill a dragon."

The resignation in her voice is different from when she was yelling at me in the cove but it's tinged with the same note of misery.

"First to ride one though" I continue.

She pauses and I push forward, "But why couldn't you?"

She whirls around and snaps, "I wouldn't okay!"

There it is.

"You said wouldn't that time" I point out, looking her in the eye as I spoke.

"I just…" she sighs and lowers her gaze to the ground, "it was in his eyes…when I looked into them I saw…myself. He was as scared as I was! How can I kill something in cold blood like that?"

"You couldn't" I reply, suppressing a smile because that answer is just so Hiccup, "but I'm betting he's pretty scared right now, so what're you gonna' do about it?"

At some point my eyes had drifted to the horizon but my gaze snapped back to Hiccup as she answered: "Probably something stupid."

That's the Hiccup I know.

"You've already done that" I point out.

She smiles, a small one, but it's enough. The familiar spark has returned to her eyes too.

"Then how about something crazy?"

I can't help it, a huge grin breaks out across my face, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Her smile grows and she leans in to peck my cheek, making my elation rise even higher.

"Will you do me a favor and go get the others?" she asks.

"What do you have planned?" I reply. No way am I walking into this blind again. Last time it turned out for the worse and I'm not keen on repeating that disaster.

"I'll show you when you all get down to the training arena."

I pull back, still grinning.

"You got it."

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"What are we doing here" Tuff asked as we all walked into the arena.

I resisted the urge to knock his teeth out. He had been asking that question consecutively for the last ten minutes, pretty much the whole walk. Snotlout occasionally pitched in too, only making me more annoyed. This time it was Hiccup that saved the male Thorston twin's skin when she stepped out in front of us and stated that we're here to go after the fleet.

"Hiccup? What do you mean by that?" Ruffnut asked.

I was glad to hear no animosity in her tone, only genuine curiosity.

"Just what I said" she replied simply.

"Why in Helheim should we trust you?" Snotlout demanded, "You're a traitor!"

I frowned at that, this time seriously considering maiming the annoying Lout' as I stepped up beside Hiccup and wrapped my arm around her waist, firmly cementing my position on her side of the argument. "She isn't a traitor, there's a damn good reason she did what she did" I growled, glaring right at her cousin as I spoke.

To his credit, he actually shrunk back a little, probably not used to me being so obviously hostile.

"And what is that?" Fishlegs asked.

He, like Ruffnut, sounded genuinely curious. When I turned toward him I noticed that his eyes briefly drifted to my arm around Hiccup's waist and couldn't help the slight twinge of satisfaction his momentary glace gave me.

"I don't have time to go into detail but long story short there's a huge dragon on that island, like half the size of Berk huge, there's no way that they'll be able to beat it" Hiccup said.

Everyone's eyes went wide at that. The first to shake off his obvious surprise was Snotlout, who quickly countered the declaration. "Why should we trust you?" he asked.

My frown deepened. Gods in Asgard when is this moron going to just shut up and accept it?

"Lout' I was with her, I saw it too" I said.

That seemed to convince them.

"Okay…so what are we supposed to do?" Ruffnut asked, "I mean if the entire village isn't a match for it, then how are we supposed to help?"

Hiccup stepped away from me and I glanced down to see her smiling. She gestured to the cage doors, "Easy, we get help."

"Wait…you mean the dragons?" Fishlegs asked, looking a lot more apprehensive than he had a few moments ago.

I was feeling a bit apprehensive myself, but after seeing Hiccup in the ring with the Nightmare…okay that's not the best thing to think about right now but the point stands that Hiccup knows what she's doing.

Tuffnut outright laughs at the suggestion, "Man that idea's insane! I love it!" he shouts, prancing up to Hiccup and hooking his arm around her shoulders. I step forward and pull her away from him, ready to give him a knuckle sandwich when Ruff, once again, beats me to it.

"I'm game" the female Thorston says after practically flattening her twin, "point me to the dragon and I'll hop on, no promises that stuff won't get blown up along the way though."

Hiccup smiles while I ponder the wisdom of putting the twins on a dragon. Fishlegs nods his agreement after a look from Hiccup while Snotlout, not wanting to get left behind, huffily agrees.

"Okay, we'll start with the Nightmare then."

Leave it to Hiccup to want to start with the dragon that almost killed her not half-a-day ago.

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The battle field was a mess by the time we made it, a sea of smoke and fire and death. The queen dragon had deserted the mountain, chasing the army of Vikings from one side of the island to the other. There was a line of ships along the beach, all ablaze, offering no escape route for the fleeing Vikings.

Tuffnut let out a low whistle, "Man…look at that…"

"Pretty bad…" Fishlegs agreed, looking ready to turn and head back to Berk.

"Okay I think I believe you now…" Snotlout said.

I repress an eye roll at that as we swoop down over the burnt ships, circling the monstrous creature. Tuffnut, regaining his daredevil demeanor, hooted and called out: "Look at us! We're on dragons! All of us!" as loud as he could manage, making more than a few of the warriors turn and gape.

Most of the army had evacuated to the opposite side of the island but I could make out two burly forms prancing around under the giant creature's feet. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it's the Chief and Gobber. They were making one Hel of a racket, obviously trying to distract the thing.

Hiccup stiffened and I glanced up to see that her eyes had strayed to her father and mentor. If she wasn't completely committed to this crazy endeavor before then she certainly was now.

"Fishlegs break it down!" she shouted.

The steely quality of her voice reflected her determination and I couldn't help but grin. The dragon queen doesn't stand a chance.

"Alright! Heavily armored skull, tail made for bashing and crushing, steer clear of both. Small eyes, large nostrils, relies on hearing and smell!" he replied.

"Lout' and Legs' you guys make some noise, try to keep it confused. Ruff, Tuff find out if it has a shot limit, make it mad" she instructed.

"That's my specialty!" the female Thorston twin called back with a mad grin.

Tuffnut scoffed, "Says who? Everyone knows that I'm more annoying, see?" To prove his point he directed the Zippleback head he was riding so that he was upside-down, making a face at his sister along with a strange gargling choke noise.

I heaved a sigh, wondering if it was too late to petition for the twins to sit this one out.

"Just do what I told you! I'll be back in a bit!" Hiccup called out, angling the Nadder to the line of burning ships.

Tuffnut hooted off in the distance as they commenced their attack. Hopefully they would be able to hold their own long enough for Hiccup to find Toothless and get into the air.

"There!" she shouted, pointing to the lead ship. Toothless was strapped near the bow, struggling against the leather straps holding him captive.

She handed me the reigns and stood, ready to jump. I reached out and caught her wrist, forcing her to turn and look at me. "Be safe" I said simply. She smiled and nodded before dropping, bending her knees to cushion her fall. Hiccup landed neatly beside her dragon, hollering "Go help the others!" before turning her attention to Toothless.

I took one last look at the crouched form bent over Toothless' chains frantically jamming a metal bar that she'd magically pulled from the folds of her vest into the links, before turning my Nadder back to the battle.

In the time I was gone both Fishlegs and Snotlout had disappeared from the sky. As concerning as that is I don't have the leisure of searching for them, instead circling around the giant head in an attempt to find a weak spot. To my surprise, I spotted Snotlout balanced on one of the thing's eyelids, jamming a hammer into its eye.

I smiled and swooped down closer, "Nice going Lout'!" I shouted as I passed.

He smiled and kept going, keeping himself balanced between two eyelids.

The queen was obviously in pain as she spun in a quick circle, her tail smashing into the line of ships. My eyes followed the burning mass of wood as several of them sunk below the surface. I wasn't at the right angle to see whether the lead ship had gone down but anger flared in my chest all the same.

' _Hiccup might've been on one of those ships!'_

I angled my Nadder down and she listened, releasing a magnesium blast into one of the dragon queen's six eyes. As expected the giant creature reared back with a shriek, swinging its head from side to side angrily. Snotlout somehow kept his grip on its eyelids but I barely registered that as the twins made another pass at it, shouting out insults that the dragon probably couldn't hear over its own roars.

It certainly noticed them though, they were flying right in front of it. The queen narrowed her eyes and shot a blast at the Zippleback. Ruff and Tuff avoided it rather well, probably having a lot of good practice by now. The fire hit a sea stack instead and they barely managed to jerk the Zippleback in the opposite direction to keep it from crushing them.

A wave of sea water sloshed onto the shore as a result of the fallen sea stack. Some of the Viking's that had managed to retreat to the fringes of the battle got splashed. I swooped down on the Nadder, zooming in front of its face to gain its attention. Two blasts of fire whizzed past me. Apparently it was angry about the shot I'd taken at its eye.

Snotlout lost his grip when the queen tossed her head, barely managing to catch one of her head spikes and losing his grip on the hammer. I cursed and started to circle around to nab him when something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. Pulling out of the wide turn my head shot up and I was relieved to see the dark dragon spiraling into the sky.

Without missing a beat I pulled up next to the twins, who were having another one of their usual shouting matches. "Get Snotlout out of there!" I shouted.

The Zippleback swooped down toward the queen's head. Thankfully Snotlout had managed to get himself steady on the giant dragon's skull and he raced down the creature's snout, leaping off the broken horn at the end. He made it, no thanks to the bickering twins, exclaiming "I can't believe that worked!" with a genuine grin of mixed relief and excitement.

The twins and Snotlout were well out of the queen's range, but I wasn't. The Nadder was flapping as hard as she could but we weren't going anywhere. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the inside of the giant dragon's mouth. It was trying to suck us in!

I spurred my dragon on, encouraging her to go faster despite knowing that we were losing this battle. Then there was the familiar screech of a Night Fury and the queen fell, her jaws snapping mere inches from us. The resulting wave sent me flying off the Nadder. I screamed in panic, barely managing to make out my dragon flying off in the other direction while I spiraled end over end toward the ground.

Then something grabbed my foot.

"Did you get him?"

I blinked and looked up, meeting Toothless' big green eyes. A smile spread across my face and the Night Fury returned it, all gums, before swooping low to the ground and swinging me up to land on my feet. I panted from the heart-stopping experience, eyes trained on the slim figure riding atop the black dragon as they headed back into battle.

"Go" I said, meaning for it to come out as a yell and not the breathy whisper that actually left my lips.

"Aster!"

I turned to see several Vikings, including the Chief and Gobber, rushing over. They stopped beside me just in time to see the giant creature's jaw snap to the side courtesy of the shot Toothless had taken mere moments before. The queen roared in anger before unfurling her wings and taking off. The wind picked up, forcing me and several others to shield our faces from the kicked up dirt and debris.

The giant dragon went after Hiccup, shooting several blasts of magma from her huge jaws. They all missed and the dragon-human pair swooped toward the sea stacks situated just off the shore, navigating around them with practiced ease while the queen dragon went straight through them. It didn't seem at all bothered by slabs of rock slamming into its body.

"Hey!"

I turned to see the Zippleback coming in for a landing at the center of a crowd of jumpy Vikings. Half of them had their weapons drawn before they realized that the twins and Snotlout were riding the thing. Ignoring the confused stares that surrounded me I shoved my way through the wall of people. Snotlout was the first off the dragon, sliding off its back before it had fully landed.

"Where's Hiccup?" he asked.

I turned to watch as the queen hit another sea stack, still seemingly unfazed. Lout' followed my gaze.

"Will she be alright?" Ruff queried as she landed on top of her brother. He'd apparently fallen from the Zippleback, providing a perfect landing platform for the female Thorston.

"What's this about Hiccup?" Chief Stoick asked, the crowd parting to allow him through. Gobber trailed after him.

"She's riding that dragon" Tuff said, pointing to the speck of black still flying in front of the queen.

The Chief started, looking surprised and even a bit concerned. I didn't have time to feel indignant on Hiccup's behalf – it's pretty obvious who's responsible for Hiccup's tears – as Fishlegs came rushing forward, out of breath. I was relieved to see that he was alright but didn't have time to react as he pointed at the sky and shouted: "Look!" prompting all eyes to follow his finger to the battle overhead.

Hiccup and Toothless were swooping up toward the clouds, dodging magma blasts. I clenched my jaw, suddenly overwhelmed with concern as they disappeared into the cloud cover. It was one thing to watch her fight, be able to see her, quite another to not know whether she was alright.

Having ridden on Toothless and fought the queen on dragon back I had also been reassured that the Night Fury had the speed advantage. If Hiccup played her cards right the giant dragon would never be able to touch them. But now I couldn't see them, couldn't be sure that the queen dragon hadn't gotten a lucky shot and forced them down somewhere in the ocean.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recognized that the crowd had fallen silent, the only sound being the lapping of ocean waves against the shore and the distant roars of the dragon queen. We were all staring at the storm clouds. I kept my fists clenched at my sides, feeling restless and useless. The feeling surpassed even the anxiety I felt waiting outside the kill ring. At least then I could _see_ her, be sure that she was alright.

There were occasional flashes of the giant dragon that accompanied its screeches, momentarily lighting it up against the dark backdrop.

' _As long as it's still roaring she's alright'_ I reassured myself, _'the queen wouldn't stay up there and screech if Hiccup and Toothless had already been shot down.'_

It was a logical assumption but not enough to remotely ease my worry, especially when a piercing roar filled the air, followed up by a sudden explosion of light. The crowd behind me started murmuring while I cursed aloud. The queen dragon had apparently gotten impatient, does that mean the earlier flashes were Hiccup and Toothless? They were too far away for me to be sure. I couldn't hear the telltale whistle or make out the slim black form of the Night Fury.

Through the pounding blood in my ears I managed to hear another roar, this one different from the loud bellow of the queen. It was shriller, barely distinguishable thanks to the giant dragon, the crowd, and distance, but it matched the one I'd heard in the cove when Toothless had thought I was an enemy.

A minute later Hiccup appeared out of the clouds. I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The queen dragon came right after them, fire spewing from her jaws. I barely registered that it looked slightly different from the magma she'd been using throughout the battle as Toothless spread his wings and vanished behind her huge body.

The queen hit the ground face-first, disappearing in a huge explosion. Vikings screamed, holding up their arms and shields to block the wind. I ignored the sudden blast of dust and heat, managing to catch sight of Toothless and Hiccup near the queen's tail.

Another wave hit and something nailed me in the center of the forehead. I grunted in surprise and took a step back, forcing my eyes back open a second later. Hiccup and Toothless had vanished from sight. The explosion died down, leaving a cloud of ash and the foul stench of burnt flesh in its wake.

My head pounded with a sudden rush of energy as I frantically searched the sky for Hiccup and Toothless, batting ash out of my face at the same time. I couldn't make out the slim black form of the dragon or his rider and my concern turned into something sharper, more potent.

Ignoring the heat and ash I attempted to slide down the mount that everyone had gathered on. I made it less than three feet before someone wrapped a meaty arm around my bicep and I whirled around to face Snotlout's father, Spitelout.

"Where do ye think yer goin' boy?" he asked.

"To find Hiccup" I replied, trying to jerk my arm away.

He held strong, increasing the pressure. I would probably have bruises from that later but right now I didn't care. Hiccup hadn't come back yet. What if she and Toothless had gotten caught in the explosion? The thought was horrible enough to make me fight harder, but no matter how hard I pulled Spitelout didn't budge.

"Wait until the smoke dies down more, may still be some debris floating around" the older man said simply.

"I don't care!" I shouted, "Hiccup's out there and I'm not leaving her!"

"Ye said earlier tha' Hiccup was on tha' dragon?" Gobber asked as he stepped forward to stand in front of Spitelout and me.

"That's right" Ruffnut confirmed, also coming forward, "she's the one who got us together for this attack, taught us how to ride dragons and everything."

Spitelout's eyebrows shot up and he turned to Snotlout, who had joined Ruffnut along with the others, "Is this true?"

Lout' nodded, "That's right, she told us about the giant dragon and convinced us all to come help."

Murmurs once again broke out in the silent crowd, which had been listening closely to the progressing conversation.

"Why didn't she tell us then?" someone shouted.

"Tha's right! We all could'a been killed!"

I clenched my jaw and finally wrenched my arm from Spitelout's grasp. "Did anyone ask?" I shouted. All noise ceased at the question.

"Would anyone have listened to her if she had told you?" I plowed on, letting my anger fuel my words as I faced the crowd. I jabbed my thumb into the center of my chest, "I was with her when she went to the dragon's nest. We barely made it out alive! The jaws of that demon spawn snapping at our heels as we ran. She didn't want to tell anyone because they would just plow ahead blindly. She was afraid that you would hear 'found dragon's nest' and rush off without hearing the rest."

I paused to breathe, my eyes trailing over the crowd and landing on the Chief. He was standing at the front, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Obviously she was right to worry. We're Vikings, honestly if I hadn't seen that thing I probably would have reacted the same way but that doesn't make it right."

The angry edge to my tone dissolved toward the end, leaving everything in silence. It was broken moments later by Chief Stoick taking off into the smoke. I blinked, momentarily surprised, before dashing after him.

He was fast for a man so big and I soon lost sight of him. I could hear him screaming his daughter's name though, and continued to run in that general direction even after the cries abruptly cut off. Ashes were everywhere, making me cough and occasionally swipe a sleeve over my eyes, but it didn't keep me from my goal.

In fact it was already clearing, allowing me enough visibility to see the Chief kneeling down beside a long black shape in the distance. Panic shot through me, propelling me forward. I didn't heed the rough patches of rock and ankle-deep ash that I scrambled through as I made my way over, eyes completely focused on the fast-clearing image. I was panting by the time I made it. Chief Stoick was on his knees, fists curled up in his lap. The black shape he was sitting in front of was Toothless. My gaze shot to the saddle, nausea almost overwhelming me when I saw that it was empty.

I stood just behind the Chief, my feet rooted to the ground as my mind tried desperately to process the scene in front of me. Toothless shifted, a rough growl that almost sounded like a groan filling the air as his huge green eyes opened. I'm not sure if Chief Stoick knows I'm here when he captures the dragon's attention by apologizing to it.

Toothless is certainly aware of my presence though, his eyes moving from the Chief, to me, before he shifts. Large black wings unfurl, revealing Hiccup's slim form tucked safely in the dragon's clutches.

"Hiccup!" Stoick said, lurching forward to take her from the Night Fury.

I dropped to the ground beside him, crowding in as close as I could get as he tossed his helmet off to the side and pressed the side of his head to her chest.

"She's alive!" Stoick called happily, "Ye brought her back alive!"

For once I wasn't ashamed of the tears that came to my eyes, feeling too relieved to care. I didn't take my eyes off Hiccup's limp form but something tells me that if I had it would've been the closest I'd ever seen the Chief come to crying. The burly man leaned forward and placed a hand tenderly on Toothless' head, prompting the dragon to relax.

"Thank ye, for savin' my daughter" Stoick breathed.

"Well y'know, most of her" Gobber added as he hobbled up to stand on Stoick's other side.

"What?" I blurted, concern breaking through the haze of relief.

Without waiting for an answer I lurched forward to get a better look. At first I didn't notice, only seeing the light cuts and bruises running up and down her arms. There was a slash on her cheek, still bleeding. It would probably scar but didn't seem too serious. In fact the worst that she had were the obvious burns overlapping the cuts on her forearms and painting the skin under a charred tunic hem angry red and black. Or at least I thought that was the worst until my eyes trailed lower.

My breath hitched when I caught sight of her left leg.

The boot was missing and her leggings were dyed red from the calf down. From the awkward way that the leg was resting it was obviously broken, the skin hanging off the wound in jagged ribbons. I had to swallow the bile rising up my throat at the sight.

I hadn't noticed the crowd gathering a ways off and barely registered the other teens jogging up to stand beside us. Ruffnut made it first and dropped to her knees beside the Chief. She took one look at Hiccup's leg and started barking orders, instructing Stoick and Gobber to move Hiccup closer to the water and away from the battle grounds.

Stoick stood with his daughter in his arms, moving her away from the sea of ash that had settled on the area. Toothless growled and attempted to stand, obviously not happy that the Chief was taking Hiccup from him.

Chief Stoick paused momentarily to regard the dragon before turning to me, "Can you keep him calm?"

My gaze flickered to Hiccup.

"We'll take care of her, yer needed with the dragon."

I hesitated, focusing on Hiccup's limp form cradled in her father's arms. She looked even smaller than usual when compared to him, especially with her skin as pale as it was. I clenched my jaw as my reason battled with emotion. Someone had to look after Toothless and I wouldn't be any help to Hiccup just waiting by her bedside.

' _Besides I promised her that if anything happened I would take care of Toothless…Gods is that promise even valid now that the whole kill ring situation is over? Considering the way she worded it probably…'_

I nodded to the Chief and forced myself to turn and face Toothless. The subsonic growl building in his throat intensified with the distance between him and his rider. "Toothless it's alright, they're just taking her to get her wounds treated" I reassured him.

I stood between Toothless and the retreating form of Stoick the Vast, not quite brave enough to try and touch him no matter how easily I'd seen Hiccup do it. Toothless had only acted civil around me because of Hiccup, I have no idea where I currently stand with him and don't feel like pushing those boundaries.

"Aster…"

I glanced over my shoulder to see that Snotlout had been the one to speak. He and the others, minus Ruff, were still here, looking unsure about what to do. Toothless' followed my gaze and growled, his pupils narrowing to finer points.

"Back away" I ordered them, returning my attention to the dragon.

They obeyed, wisely keeping a fair distance so that I could try and calm Toothless. Surprisingly our dragons stayed too. I'm not sure when but by the time I'd turned around, semi-confident that Toothless wouldn't leap up and try to track Hiccup down, the Nadder was standing behind me. She'd disappeared after we had nearly been swallowed by the queen dragon and I blinked in surprise when I realized that she'd come back.

The dragon warbled at me, tilting her head from side to side so that she could see me without the obstruction of her blind spot before butting me lightly with her head. A short trill erupted from her throat when I started stroking the scales just under her eye, making me smile.

That was when time seemed to slow.

A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air.

Toothless was up in an instant, fangs bared, pupils narrowed. His wings were still spread uselessly at his sides, the left one looking particularly lame, but he didn't seem to mind that much as he roared. It sounded angry, so much angrier than anything I'd ever heard the Night Fury produce.

Then the Nadder was shoving past me, squawking something that I could barely make out over Toothless' rage. The Zippleback, Gronkle, and Nightmare all followed the Nadder and sprang into action. The Gronkle held down Toothless' hide, stopping his thrashing tail while the Nightmare took the primary position on his back. One clawed paw came down on the snarling Night Fury's head, pushing his jaws closed and pinning him to the ground. The Zippleback finished by twining its long necks around Toothless' legs.

Toothless _screamed_ in undisguised wrath, thrashing against the other dragons. His wings were still free and they flapped sporadically, smacking the Nightmare and Zippleback. They held strong through the powerful strikes, especially when the Nadder stepped up to take the Nightmare's place holding Toothless' head.

Huge green orbs glared up at my dragon, wisps of smoke seeping out between clenched jaws. The Nadder didn't look impressed and warbled something low in her throat. Toothless roared and tried to jerk away but they all held firm. The Nadder warbled again before turning to look at me. Toothless' blazing green gaze also shifted my way and I had to make a conscious effort not to start at the fire in those eyes.

But there was also something else…intelligence…emotion. It was almost startling how human those eyes looked in that moment. An image of Hiccup's expressive green eyes came unbidden and an anxious lump formed in my throat. The dragons seemed to be waiting for something, from the corner of my eye I could see that the others had also shifted to look at me.

I took a tentative step forward. None of the dragons reacted so I took another, then another, until I was stopping five feet from them. I knelt down so that I was at eye-level with Toothless, surprised that neither he nor the rest of the dragons seemed to mind very much.

"Hiccup is fine" I said firmly, willing myself to believe it as much as I wanted the dragon to, "I won't let anything happen to her but I can't keep an eye on her if you keep struggling like this. I promise we'll bring her back later but for now you need to rest, you're injured too."

Toothless stared at me for a few long seconds.

"She won't be happy if she finds out you aggravated your wounds you know" I said without thinking.

Surprisingly Toothless seemed to respond to that, snorting as if to say 'oh please.'

"So will you stay here?" I asked, "I'll go check on her and see about getting her back to you."

All derision left the dragon's expression at the question and I forced myself to ignore the fact that a dragon _could_ show such a variety of emotion as our eyes met again. His pupils had been steadily widening as the one-sided conversation went on and Toothless hesitated for only a moment before giving an almost imperceptible nod.

I nodded back and turned to the Nadder, who was already lifting herself off the Night Fury. The others did the same, a bit more tentatively, almost like they expected Toothless to make a break for it the second he was free. But he didn't and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding when the black dragon settled comfortably on the scorched earth.

"Make sure he gets some rest" I said, addressing the Nadder.

The creature warbled in what I took to be a confirmation and I nodded once before turning in the direction Hiccup had gone. Lout', Legs and Tuff were still standing out of range, not quite as far as the crowd of Vikings but still a decent distance. They all looked flabbergasted as I passed them.

"How…did you…?" I heard Snotlout breathe.

I didn't answer, simply brushing past him. The Vikings that had watched my exchange with the dragons from a distance moved aside to let me pass.

It didn't take long to find the Chief and his daughter. Gobber had taken over as temporary leader, ordering groups of warriors left and right to try and salvage a ride home. One glance at me and he'd pointed to a rocky outcropping a fair distance away where I could make out two crouched bodies, one very distinctly belonging to Stoick the Vast.

I nodded my thanks and bolted, dodging around people and scrabbling over debris as I made my way up a semi-steep mound. Ruffnut met me at the crest of the hill, making my heartbeat skyrocket when I saw the look on her face. Wordlessly I brushed past her and skidded to a stop just beside the prone body on the ground before dropping to my knees.

Hiccup was covered in bandages, reeking of ash and salve, but I ignored that as I reached out a hand to run my fingertips down her uninjured cheek. She looked pale from blood loss and my eyes drifted down to her mangled foot. My breath hitched when I saw the shortened limb, ending just under her knee.

"We had to remove it" Ruffnut said, sounding both sympathetic and detached as she lowered herself to the ground on Hiccup's other side. "Cauterized it with a hot sword after chopping off what was left, stopped the bleeding but we won't know if infection sets in until later."

The female Thorston didn't take her eyes off the shortened leg. I tried to ignore the blood coating her hands.

"I need to be goin' to help Gobber" Chief Stoick announced suddenly, "I need ye three to look after her while I'm gone."

"Sir, would it be alright for me to move her?" I asked, taking my eyes off Hiccup to meet her father's gaze.

"Why?"

"Toothless needs to see that she's okay" I replied.

The larger man stared at me contemplatively, his expression calculating. It was clear that he wanted to refuse. He cut his gaze to Ruffnut, who nodded her approval. Part of me actually expected him to refuse in spite of the acting healers consent, he proved me wrong by giving a small nod. "Keep that dragon under control and boy," the haggard look on Stoick the Vast's face vanished, replaced with a hard glare that would make any sane man quake in his boots, "If anythin' happens to her it'll be yer hide."

I kept eye contact as I nodded, appropriately warned. It's amazing what the tides of battle can do to you, somehow that threat was a lot less concerning than Gobber's. Maybe it was just the wording.

I watched the Chief jog away before turning my attention back to Hiccup. Gently, I slipped one arm under her shoulders while the other circled her knees. She didn't flinch or recoil in pain when I lifted her into the air, settling her tiny form close to me. Her head lolled to one side, resting against my chest. Had she been awake, she probably would have heard my anxious heartbeat slow to relative calm.

"So…"

I turned to face Ruff and saw that she was still staring intently at Hiccup's shortened leg.

"Yeah" I replied, turning to walk back toward the dragons.

The female Thorston jogged up beside me.

"Make sure to be gentle, she's already lost a lot of blood" she replied, "it's almost funny y'know, less than three weeks ago I thought that Hiccup was a complete screw up. Now she's a hero and the first among us to receive a battle scar."

I didn't reply, clenching my jaw and forcing myself to watch for obstacles. No need to jostle Hiccup any more than necessary, after all.

"How long did you know?"

I glanced at Ruff out of the corner of my eye. She didn't look like she was prying, didn't even look curious. For some reason that compelled me to answer: "I found out after the final exam."

"Did you know about that little stunt she pulled in the ring?"

"She didn't tell me beforehand if that's what you're asking."

We circled around a rather large boulder, finally moving past the gaggle of rushing Viking's and coming within sight of the dragons. Tuff was the first to spot us and made sure that everyone else did too, prompting the others to join him as they dashed over.

"You're lucky to have her" Ruffnut said suddenly, " _we're all_ lucky to have her."

She jogged ahead to meet the boys, stopping their stampede with a few harsh words. Probably a good thing, they might hurt Hiccup if they get too excited. I took that time to glance down at the girl in my arms, feeling a trickle of warmth light up in my chest.

The Gods had definitely blessed us all with this unique woman.

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Getting back to Berk proved to be less difficult than we thought.

Over half of the fleet had been destroyed and all the sails were burnt beyond repair but there was plenty of debris to fashion into rafts and most of the oars had made it. There still wasn't enough room for everyone and Stoick had been asking for volunteers to remain behind for later retrieval when Tuffnut, of all people, had come forward with a suggestion.

Granted it was stupidly worded and got him a good knock on the head from his sister but it prompted further thought.

Many of the dragons that had fled from the initial attack had returned, probably having nowhere else to go, and were gathering on the other shores. They were within sight but didn't dare get any closer to us or the volcano. Some of them even went so far as to perch themselves on sea stacks or hover over the water. Tuffnut had suggested that some stragglers fly back. Fishlegs refined the idea by suggesting that the dragon riders stay behind with volunteers to train a few people in dragon riding before heading on to Berk.

It was a good plan, it gave the first group the chance to tell those that had remained on Berk the details of the battle. Then the riders wouldn't have to worry about being attacked when they returned. Unfortunately, being the unofficial leader of our group with Hiccup unconscious, I also had to stay behind.

My only reassurance as I handed Hiccup to her father and watched them board one of the surviving ships was that Toothless would be going along with her. He couldn't fly without his tailfin so it was necessary for him to go, not that he would have consented to being left behind without Hiccup anyway. The Night Fury was still distrustful of Vikings, you could tell as much by the wary way he held himself, like he was poised to spring, while his eyes shifted constantly back and forth. The Vikings weren't much better.

I could only hope that Stoick and Gobber would be able to stop a confrontation if one started up, feeling equal parts guilty and helpless as the ship sailed out of sight. Hiccup had made me promise to take care of Toothless after all, if anything happened to him then I will have failed her.

It took three days to get enough people riding dragons. With the rations left behind and the fish we were able to catch using our dragons we were well-fed. Not everyone managed to befriend a dragon but a few rode double and we made it home by sunset on the fourth day.

The first thing that I did was head for the Haddock household. Chief Stoick answered the door, looking exhausted and worried, which only served to send my heart skyrocketing into my throat. Then he informed me that she had caught a fever and fresh panic bloomed in my chest, coupled with sharp denial.

Everyone knew what that meant. If a warrior lost a limb in battle then they often had to fight off infection, they often get fevers. Not everyone survives.

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I carried a bucket in each hand through the open doorway, placing them gently on the ground before dumping their contents in a larger barrel. With hardly a pause I took the now empty buckets and headed back toward the herd of yak.

I'd been milking for about an hour and working for even longer. Bucket and Mulch had elected to take a day off while I watched the farm, taking a bag of coin and heading into town for a rare shopping spree. Apparently trader Johan was scheduled to visit today and they could use some new farming equipment. The illustrious trader is normally a minimum of three days late but does occasionally show up on time, good enough reason to go today I suppose.

A half-dozen buckets later I was finished and sat down at the crest of the hill to watch over the animals. I'd been working since an hour before dawn, barely taking a break to shove a loaf of bread in my mouth for lunch, and had finished every chore and task that could possibly be done on the farm with record speed.

Now all that was left was to wait for Bucket and Mulch to return.

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I tried to be quiet as I tiptoed up the rickety steps and into the house, making sure to shut the door silently behind me. My stomach rumbled from having missed dinner but I ignored it, too tired to try foraging for relief as I made my way to the room that I share with my brothers.

There was no door, just a torn wool curtain haphazardly nailed to the frame, and I easily pushed it aside to enter. The candle had long been extinguished and none of them moved as I made my way over to the bed I share with Tait. He was sprawled across the pallet snoring just like always.

Normally I would have smiled at the sight of my little brother looking so at ease but not now, I just don't have the energy. Instead I lower myself to the edge of the bed and yank my boots off before nudging Tait out of the way and lying down.

"You're home late."

I jerk in surprise and curse under my breath, briefly glancing at Tait to make sure that I hadn't woken him before turning to face Halvar. With the light from the moon filtering in through the window I can see the glint of his dark eyes staring at me from the next cot.

"I was busy" I replied.

"Ma' was worried when ye didn't show up for breakfast or dinner" Calder said, making me feel like a fool when I realized that the lack of monstrous snoring should have warned me that he was still awake.

"I took the time to eat."

"Sure ye did."

I shifted uncomfortably at that, making my stomach growl loudly to contradict my earlier statement. It is true that I had a small loaf for lunch but that was it, I'd mostly substituted water to keep myself full and somewhat energized.

"Ye should get some rest tomorrow Aster, with all the time ye spent at Bucket and Mulch's ye should have all the chores for the week done already" Calder continued.

He was right, I'd cleaned the stables from top to bottom in the hours I'd been there. Bucket and Mulch usually graze the animals, I'd actually done more than my usual share of the work by milking the yak today. But none of that felt like enough. I'd actually been relieved of my watch on the farm hours ago, when Bucket and Mulch had tottered up the hill from the mead hall slightly tipsy and assured me that it was alright to go home.

Having already put the animals in for the night and cleaned myself of the accumulated filth I just left, but didn't want to go home quite yet. So I went to one of my usual training spots and hurled my axe at trees by the light of the moon until my fatigue became too great to ignore.

"I need to train and could stand to take a few odd-jobs around the village" I replied easily, mind already working to plan out tomorrow's schedule.

"Yer goin' to kill yerself boy" Axel growled, sitting up on the other side of Calder.

"I'll be fine" I bit back.

"Ye haven't been right since ye got back from the battle" Calder said, "is it because of the Haddock girl?"

I clenched my jaw and refused to answer, which was apparently answer enough.

"Rumor's going around that you and her have something going on" Halvar said, "I suspected as much after what happened in the kill ring, wasn't sure if it was true before now though."

Calder whistled low, deliberately toning it down so as not to wake everyone still sleeping, "No wonder ye looked so uncomfortable when I was talkin' about courtin' her."

"Aster, we realize that yer worried, Hel the whole village is worried, but it ain't goin' ta help anyone if ye kill yerself workin'!" Axel said, using the hard tone that he always took when one of us hit a rough spot. It hadn't been directed at me in years and unlike when I was a child it was much less comforting. If anything it made me angry.

I clenched my fists together to try and keep myself under some semblance of control. None of them could ever understand. That hogswallop about the whole village being concerned is just that. Would they still be worried if she hadn't saved the village? Would they have cared if she'd lost a leg a year ago? The answer was obvious and my muscles tensed with the same righteous anger that I'd felt when Spitelout had tried to keep me from searching for her in that sea of ash.

Most of it was anger at the village, another fair-sized portion was directed at her father, and more still was toward myself. She was alone for years and nobody did anything, I didn't do anything. Now that I'd finally done something, acted on my feelings and found out that she at least somewhat returns them, she might be gone.

None of them could possibly understand the emotion coursing through me, the stomach-churning combination of hope and despair. The only way to get rid of the image of Hiccup's pale face and blood-stained leggings is to keep busy so that's what I'm going to do.

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The next morning I skipped breakfast again, sneaking out at the crack of dawn to train the day away in the woods. I made sure to stay off frequently traveled paths and chose secluded spots to practice. I'm not sure how but I eventually managed to wander into Toothless' cove.

Maybe I'd been unconsciously making my way there all along, that or the Gods were trying to tell me something. Either way I took a brief break from hurling my axe at trees and traipsing around obstacles, practically collapsing against one of the boulders in the cove. I slid to the ground, my axe falling from my slackened grip and thumping against the bare dirt and patchy grass.

The place looked pretty much the same as when I'd last been here. I hadn't had time to look very closely before, now that I did I noticed faded scorch marks on the cove walls and a patch of charred sticks and stones that had probably once been a cooking fire.

I was tempted to take a few fish from the river to feed the almost overwhelming hunger gnawing at my insides but it just didn't feel right. So I resolved to find food somewhere else and forced myself to my feet to do just that. My breathing had returned to normal after my brief rest and I shuffled out of the cove without looking back.

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I'd managed to catch and cook five fish from one of the rivers near Toothless' cove before returning to that sacred spot. Enclosed on all sides with memories of Hiccup and her dragon moving languidly through my mind I eventually fell asleep. It was late afternoon when I woke, feeling much better than I had this morning. The walk back to the village was enough to kill another hour or three, especially when I kept stopping to take out my aggression on unmarked conifers.

By the time I entered the village it was past sunset.

The full moon that had illuminated the world in a silver glow to see by the night before had waned, providing less visibility and forcing me to rely on the torches placed at intervals between buildings. At least it was easier than the woods, the canopy of leaves and branches made some areas pitch black during the nighttime.

I didn't greet the night guards when I passed them and they seemed to recognize that I wasn't in a conversational mood. Their eyes remained trained on me after I passed, no doubt wondering why one of the Hofferson boys was out so late at night. The gossip would probably be all over the village an hour after first light but I don't care, it's only talk after all.

To my surprise the smithy was still lit when I passed it and I felt compelled to enter. Part of me held a bit of hope that it was Hiccup fabricating one of her inventions, though I knew that wasn't true and thus wasn't surprised to see Gobber hammering away at something on his anvil.

"G'night ta ye Aster" the smith greeted, lifting the plate-like object that he'd been working on for closer inspection.

"Is that…?"

Gobber dipped the red-hot metal into the basin of water at his side, a sizzling hiss coming along with the steam. "Aye, it's tha' contraption tha' Hiccup uses ta fly with the Night Fury. I'm fixin' it ta work with the new prosthetic I made for her."

The older man inspected the petal again before seeming to deem it satisfactory, placing it along with a collection of other metal shapes on the hard-wood table beside him.

"So what're ye doin' here? Thought ye'd be in bed by now."

I opened my mouth to answer but couldn't think of a response. Gobber took his eyes off his work for the first time since I'd entered, his blue eyes seeming to pierce me as well as any blade as our gazes met.

"Ye look tired lad" the smith stated.

I didn't deny it.

Gobber sighed deeply and set down his smithing tools, pulling a three-legged stool from the corner to sit on. "Y'know that lass has always been strong. When she was born she was small, the healer predicted tha' she wouldn't survive her first night. But she did and many more thereafter."

A wistful smile took over the smith's wrinkled face, "That wee bairn is hardier than some of the men I've met in my lifetime, so there's nothin' ta worry over."

I wasn't sure how to feel about Gobber's words, though I do know that I needed to hear them.

"Besides" the older man continued with a light chuckle, "she'll be angry with ye if she finds out ye been actin' the fool while she's sleepin'."

I couldn't help but smile at that, recalling the similar words that I'd spoken to Toothless a few long days ago. I left for home that night feeling better than I had in days.

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I had breakfast with my family the next morning. Ma' gave me a good scolding for not showing up for the last few days while my brothers, especially Axel, were obviously glad to see me eating at the table again which was evident in the distinct lack of merciless teasing.

Not long after I met up with the others and found out that Ruffnut had spoken to the healer early that morning. Apparently Hiccup's fever had broken, she's going to live. It felt like a great weight had fallen off my shoulders as the words sunk in. Before long we were all on our way to the Haddock household for a visit at Ruffnut's suggestion.

Wordlessly I stepped up to knock on the door and we all waited anxiously for it to open. Loud footfalls approached from the other side and I took a step back to avoid being knocked in the head, inadvertently bumping into Snotlout and almost knocking him and Tuff down the steps. Chief Stoick, looking more haggard and worn than I'd ever seen him, peered out at us from behind the heavy wood. His face seemed to light and he opened the door wider, "C'mon in."

I entered first, my eyes immediately drawn to the bed set up beside the fire place. Hiccup was sitting up, smiling and scratching Toothless behind one of his ear flaps. She looked much better than when I'd last seen her, less peaked, though her clothes did seem to hang looser on her frame. But I put that aside for now and rushed forward, uncaring of the other people in the room as I dropped onto the bed and wrapped my arms around her.

"A-Aster" she squeaked.

Without warning my relief morphed into annoyance and I pulled back, pinching her cheek just as I'd done in the cove after our flight on Toothless.

"Owwwwww!" she whined, rubbing her reddened cheek after I'd released it. "Can you do anything without pinching my cheeks? Geez I just woke up and you're already-"

I cut her off by pressing my lips to hers. It was like I was on autopilot, reacting to a different emotion every second without my brain interpreting the impulses first. That's why I pressed this kiss further than the one's we'd shared previously, adding more pressure. This was less about testing the waters and more about reassurance. Hiccup is here, she's alright, I'm here, everything is going to be okay.

It was over as quickly as it had begun as I pulled back, resting my forehead against hers. Those distinct green eyes were locked on me, cheeks flushed either from embarrassment or something else. I wasn't sure which, though I hoped that I hadn't crossed some kind of line with my impulsive action.

"That first one was for not being safe like I told you" I said, the statement coming out breathier than I'd have liked.

"A-and the second…?" she asked.

I couldn't help it, I grinned. "That one was because I'm glad you're okay."

Hiccup smiled softly at that, making the warm-gooey feeling build up in my chest again. Unfortunately Ruffnut decided to give her opinion, reminding me that we are, in fact, not alone.

"I knew that something was going on with you two!" She gloated, seeming very pleased with herself.

Tuff scratched his head, "Really? I never saw this coming."

"Yea I know…" Snotlout echoed, "I mean Hiccup and Aster…

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, fairly certain that I'd already made it perfectly clear when I'd wrapped my arm around her before the battle.

"Are you guys really that stupid?" Ruff asked, voicing my sentiment with an eye roll, "It's obvious for both of them, but then again you didn't see Aster mooning after Hiccup during that one raid-"

"Ruff!" I shouted, glaring at the female Thorston in silent warning.

My mind frantically searched for the instance she was speaking of, quickly pinning it as the raid that had taken place shortly before dragon training had begun. That was around the time that Ruff had started sending me those knowing looks. Gods she'd noticed even back then? Apparently I'm a lot more transparent than I thought.

She held her hands up defensively but the almost demonic quirk of her lips betrayed her feigned innocence. "I just calls them like I sees them, don't worry Hiccup has mooned after you plenty of times too, like when you went to get the Goethi after Tuff-"

"Ruff!" Hiccup cried out.

Tuff and Lout' cracked up laughing and I turned my angry scowl on them, though inwardly I was gratified to hear that Hiccup had watched me as I'd been watching her. Then Chief Stoick cleared his throat, reminding me that he was still in the room and making a nervous jolt go up my spine as I realized that he'd just witnessed the affection I'd shown his daughter.

"Well I suppose I'll come ta check back up on ye later then, try not ta let her strain herself too much kids. Oh and Aster…" an involuntary chill went up my spine as our eyes met from across the room. This was nothing like the look he'd given me after Hiccup had defeated the queen, more focused, a lot more threatening, "…I'll be havin' a talk with ye later lad."

Then he walked out and shut the door, leaving the room frozen for a few silent moments. Tuffnut burst out laughing, followed by Snotlout and Ruff. I kept staring at the door, feeling more daunted by Chief Stoick's simple statement than Gobber's death threat. It's one thing to have Hiccup's mentor breathing down my neck, quite another to have Stoick the Vast looming over me. For one thing Hiccup's father has a lot more direct influence in her life, for another he isn't considered one of the strongest men in Berk history for nothing. He could probably cleave me in two without the aid of a weapon.

"Oh man that was great!" Tuff breathed, clutching his sides, "I mean did you see Aster's face!"

I narrowed my eyes and shot out a leg, connecting with Tuffnut's knee and sending him to the ground. Ruff gave him a kick for good measure. I was too concerned and embarrassed to enjoy it. The rough grunt-growl of a dragon made me turn to face Toothless. His mouth was turned up at the corners in his characteristic grin and it only took me a moment to recognize the noise for what it was.

"Not the dragon too!" I shouted, earning another round of guffaws.

They laughed for a while after. Snotlout and Tuffnut would occasionally crack a joke or try to elbow me jovially during their mirth, which only earned them cuts and bruises. Fishlegs wisely kept silent while Ruffnut jumped at the chance to maim her twin. Both the idiots should consider themselves lucky that I like holding Hiccup's hand more than I want to bash their faces in.

"Okay guys as funny as this is" Hiccup breathed, "can you tell me what happened?"

The effect of those words was immediate as everyone fell silent for a few long moments before Ruffnut decided to break the silence.

"Well you beat the Red Death-"

"Red Death?" Hiccup questioned.

"Yea" Fishlegs continued, "it was the name we gave that dragon, because of all the red spikes it had all over its hide."

"Anyway" Ruff said, obviously annoyed at being interrupted, "you defeated the Red Death but fell into the explosion. We found Toothless after it'd cleared but his tailfin was wrecked and you were nowhere to be found."

"Yea we, like, thought that you'd died or something" Snotlout said, receiving twin glares from Ruff and Fishlegs.

I tightened my hand around Hiccup's and was relieved when she returned the pressure. This was definitely one conversation I wasn't keen on having. Reliving that horrible experience wasn't something that anyone wanted to do.

"Turns out that Toothless had wrapped you in his wings when you fell to protect you from the fire. Did Chief Stoick mention…your injuries?" Fishlegs picked up, looking nervous.

I was feeling nervous myself, hoping that the Chief had saved us the pain of telling her. Unfortunately it didn't appear that he had. Hiccup blinked before shaking her head, looking confused, "No…though I can guess most of it. I mean there are some pretty obvious burns up and down my arms, probably a few more too judging from how achy I am. My dad did mention some blood loss though…."

"That was probably your biggest injury…" Legs' continued.

I kept my gaze trained on Hiccup and noticed when she raised a curious brow. Her head tilted to one side for a moment before she reached for the blanket covering her legs. My eyes were drawn to her left calf, where it abruptly ended and the metal began. I released her hand and moved my palm up her arm, rubbing up and down in what I hoped was a calming motion.

With some effort I tore my eyes from the prosthetic and snuck a peek at Hiccup's face. There wasn't any anguish in her expression but she wasn't smiling either. She just…seemed to accept it.

"So…this…" she said, shifting her foot for emphasis.

There was something in her voice that prompted me to answer: "That."

Another long moment of silence passed before Hiccup swung her legs over the bed and stood. The movement was so sudden that I didn't have time to grab her, she wobbled and I dove forward. My hand wrapped around her left wrist while Toothless supported her on her right side.

"I-I'm alright" she stuttered, attempting to take a step.

She stumbled and I wrapped my arms more tightly around her. "Careful, you won't be able to do much on it for a while, the healer said it'll take a long time before it fully heals" I say, hoping that she'll actually _listen_ to reason and decide not to push herself.

"Can we go to the forge?" she asks, crushing my futile hope, "I want to go see Gobber, maybe get started on a new pedal for Toothless' tailfin…"

She's been awake for less than a day and already wants to be out tinkering. It's just such a Hiccup thing to say and I can't help but smile as I lift her by the waist and set her astride Toothless. She shrieks and glares, "I can walk on my own you know…"

"I know" I reply, "but it's quicker on Toothless."

In truth I just don't want her straining herself and judging from her frown she knows that. But I ignore it and keep as close to Toothless as I can manage, occasionally tripping over the Night Furies legs and earning a rough swat from his tail. I spare the dragon a glare, briefly catching his eye before returning my full attention to Hiccup. While we walked the others explained in more detail what had happened after the battle. I tried not to listen to the account, not keen on remembering how Hiccup had looked covered in blood, bandages, and ash.

Luckily the trip to the forge was a short one and I had the pleasure of watching as Hiccup's expression shifted between varying expressions of wonder. The village had adapted well to the sudden end of the dragon wars, much of which I hadn't seen given my busy schedule this past week. Not everyone was as quick to embrace the change but given what the others had said it was only a matter of time.

"Lassie!" Gobber called, making me look up from my fascination with a particularly colorful gathering of Nadders' just in time to see the large smith drop what he'd been working on to come over and meet us.

Hiccup smiled widely and slid off Toothless, prompting me to make a grab for her. To my surprise and annoyance she swatted my hands away and staggered to her mentor, who wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her much smaller form was barely visible under his burly arms but neither party seemed to mind as they shared the affectionate embrace before separating.

Gobber placed his meaty palm on her shoulder, smiling just as wide as she was. "Good ta see ye up and adam lass! Hope ye like yer new peg, It's my handiwork. With a little Hiccup flair thrown in, ye think it'll do?"

Hiccup glanced down at the peg, rotating her ankle to get a better look before shrugging. "I might make a few tweaks" she replied with a smile.

We all laughed and Gobber pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Ah I been missin' that wit of yers lass, oh! Tha' reminds me" he suddenly exclaimed, releasing Hiccup to stagger back toward the forge.

I grinned, remembering the conversation I'd had with the older man the night prior.

"Don' go nowhere, I got a surprise for ye!" The smithy called, disappearing into the forge.

Hiccup shot me an inquisitive look, which I dutifully ignored. Gobber returned moments later carrying a bundle of metal and leather, which he handed to Hiccup when he was close enough.

"A new stirrup and tail I fashioned for ye and the Fury here. Used yer original plans, t'was quite a bit harder than ye make it look lass" he chuckled.

Hiccup's eyes widened as she took in the creation. I had only managed to catch sight of a few pieces last night and was equally as surprised and impressed. The tailfin was red with a white skull painted on it, strangely fitting for Hiccup and Toothless.

"It's perfect Gobber thanks so much!" Hiccup squealed, dropping to her knees to fasten the new tailfin in place.

"S'nothin' Lass" the smith replied, obviously pleased that his gift had been received so warmly.

Toothless wiggled excitedly while Hiccup attached the new prosthetic and she huffed in annoyance when she missed the buckle a third time thanks to his squirming, "Toothless! Sit still so I can finish and we can go flying!"

I chuckled lightly when the dragon refused to listen, instead nudging Hiccup dramatically in an attempt to hurry her up. Not wanting to be outdone the others called for their dragons. We'd all gotten pretty close to them in our time training new dragon riders at the old nest site, not quite as close as Hiccup and Toothless but close enough.

I smiled as the twins mounted their Zippleback, freshly outfitted with a pair of saddles from Gobber's forge. Fishlegs patted his Gronkle's flank affectionately before hauling himself onto her back and taking off along with the terrible duo. Snotlout, like me, was riding bare-back given that his saddle was still in the works and eagerly hopped onto the temperamental Nightmare to follow the others.

A quick whistle was all that it took to get my Nadder to come. She eagerly rushed over and nuzzled me with her snout, nearly shoving me to the ground with the force of her affection.

"Easy girl" I said, prompting her to back off enough for me to look into one of her large yellow eyes, "I'm sorry that I haven't spent much time with you in the last few days, how would you like to go for a flight?"

My dragon trilled happily and nuzzled me again. I couldn't help but marvel at how intelligent and forgiving she is. I hadn't done much more than greet her in three days and she forgives me, no animosity or frustration, just forgiveness. I stroked my hand affectionately along her jaw, making her purr in contentment.

"How about after the flight we go out and catch you a barrel of fish? You can eat them while I groom you, does that sound fair?"

She warbled excitedly, obviously pleased with the idea. I smiled and grabbed the rope tied around her torso, swinging myself onto her back. She took off once I was settled and we quickly caught up to the others. Hiccup and Toothless joined us a few moments later.

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 **THECASTORBEAN**

 **OUT!**


	4. BONUS

I sat rigidly in the seat, making a conscious effort not to fidget as Chief Stoick casually sipped his mug. He had been strangely calm, almost serene, the entire time. It was unnerving, especially considering the hard set to his jaw when he'd first grabbed me off the street and practically dragged me into his home. Hiccup had gone with Toothless to collect materials for her perfume-making, declining my offer to join her with a firm declaration that she was _fine_ and didn't need to be looked after at all hours of the day.

It had only been two weeks since she'd woken from her brush with death and I made a point of being with her as often as I could, concerned that her new leg would trouble her. At first it had, but now she could walk with barely a limp. That didn't stop me from worrying.

Honestly I'd been so preoccupied with Hiccup, my work for Bucket and Mulch, and Stormfly – my Nadder, who finally taken to one of my suggested names, apparently Spike and Shredder are too _masculine_ – that I'd forgotten all about the talk that the Chief had promised me. It probably wouldn't have helped had I been prepared for it and it does no good to speculate on that now, but I can't help but give myself a mental clubbing anyway.

Chief Stoick finished slurping with a satisfied gasp and lowered the cup from his lips with all the ease of a man at peace. His green eyes – so like those of his daughter – met my own and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Aren't ye gonna' have any?" he asked, gesturing to the untouched mug in front of me.

Not wanting to offend I grabbed the cup and took a quick swig before placing it back down. My stomach was too full of nerves to handle the whole tankard. The Chief nodded in approval, then rested his elbows on the table, adopting a more serious expression. "I suppose yer wonderin' why I brought ye here."

My throat felt dry, my hands clammy. I can't remember ever being this nervous before, not even when I used to try and talk to Hiccup before we got to know each other. Maybe because this is her father and the Chief of our tribe, the one man that could actually prevent me from seeing her and possibly banish me from the island for good measure. The heavy tone that he was using wasn't encouraging either.

"Yer a smart lad Aster and one of the most able of yer generation, I've heard good things from Bucket and Mulch about ye." The pride that I felt at being praised by the Chief was quickly swallowed by a wave of other emotions, namely dread. There had to be a 'but' in here somewhere right?

"Hiccup is my only daughter and after yer little…display a few days ago I need to ask…what are yer intentions toward her?"

The Chief's tone dropped a note at the end, becoming borderline threatening. That, combined with the steely glare he sent me over his folded hands, made my heartbeat speed up. I suddenly noticed that the Chief is much, _much_ larger than I am, not to mention a more experienced warrior. There's also the plethora of weaponry adorning the walls behind him. Some of those blades look sharp enough to slice through oak like butter…

Quickly shoving those unhelpful thoughts aside I took a deep breath through my nose, "I'd like to marry her, Sir."

His bushy eyebrows rose and I barely kept from slapping myself. I'd been so preoccupied with keeping myself calm that I hadn't thought about what to say! "I mean-not right away of course" I stuttered, "I still need to work to earn a proper bride price, and build a house, and establish myself in a trade. It'll take a few years but I won't make her wait forever and I'll make sure to take good care of her-"

The Chief's loud guffaw cut off my babbling and I looked up from the tabletop, startled.

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting that!" he chuckled, the smile still on his lips as he met my gaze once more. "Tell me Aster, how is it that yer plannin' to meet all those goals?"

"I'm already working at Bucket and Mulches, but I'm also planning to search for more part-time work" I began tentatively, "anything I can get my hands on. I'll cut wood with the timberer's, help haul catch at the docks, enter all the strength and fighting competitions that I can find, possibly go out on an expedition if I'm not turning a profit fast enough. Once I get close I'll look for a space to build the house. It'll have stables for the dragons and a drawing room for Hiccup in addition to all the other necessities. Then I'll settle into a suitable trade…" I had gotten lost in my plans, the one's I had been turning over and over again in my head for nearly two weeks, but now looked straight at the Chief, suddenly devoid of the nerves that had been jumping around my insides only moments ago.

"…and I'll return and ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."

He stared at me, unblinking. I suddenly remembered who I was talking to and felt the confidence recede, though it didn't completely dissipate. Yes this man could kill me with a single swing and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, he could forbid me to see his daughter and do any number of things to enforce his word, but damn it to Helheim and back if I was going to sit there like a coward and let him. That isn't the Viking way. That isn't _my_ way.

"Ye seem pretty serious about this" The Chief finally spoke.

I almost bristled but forced the heated words back down my throat. He's Hiccup's father, it's his job to evaluate his daughter's potential suitors. Considering my position in the village I should see it as a miracle that he's giving me any consideration at all. Or at least that's what I told myself anyway.

Chief Stoick sighs and leans back in his chair, expression wistful. "Y'know lad I find myself in a predicament here" he says, "I was sorta' hopin' that ye'd be after my girl for selfish reasons…least then I could chase ye away with no remorse."

I felt my stomach drop at those words. So he was going to forbid me from seeing Hiccup?

One meaty palm came up to run through a russet beard and over wrinkled eyes. Despite the anxious turmoil that was rolling around inside my gut I was curious. In all the years I'd lived in the village Chief Stoick had always seemed like the epitome of a strong Viking warrior. I hadn't seen him look this vulnerable since the aftermath of the battle with the Red Death, though now it wasn't so much vulnerable as…wistful.

"But I can see that ye genuinely care about her" he continued, dropping his hand back to the tabletop and looking me in the eye. There was a strange sadness there, an almost bittersweet glint that I couldn't quite understand. "The look in yer eye reminds me of myself when I first asked for my Val's hand…"

I…don't know exactly how to react to that. It's common knowledge around the village that Valhallarama is a sensitive topic for the Chief and I've only heard as much as the others have said behind closed doors and in hushed tones, clearly not wanting the Chief to overhear. Seeing the look on his face I understand why.

Luckily Chief Stoick only remained that way for a moment before he was sitting straight again, the perfect image of a Viking Chief. "I give ye permission to court my daughter" he said, "but if I hear that ye've done anything… _inappropriate_ then I'll use ye for battle training and string you to the mast of the closest ship. Either the Sea Serpents will eat ye within the first week or ye'll waste away from sun, cold, and starvation."

He punctuated the threat with a glare much worse than the one Gobber had given me. "Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir" I answered, a bit quieter than I usually would have but at least my voice didn't tremble.

"Good" he replied.

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 **Okay I felt like writing something and decided, hell, why not a Bonus chapter for The Village Prodigy? To be honest I had planned to write a few bonus's for this story and maybe a few for its companion as well. But I never had the motivation. Which is why this is short and a bit lackluster.**

 **To answer a few questions that I think may come up as a result of this story:**

 **Yes I know that I've established Aster as a level headed guy who is usually pretty calm and good at controlling his emotions (except where Hiccup is concerned) but he's still a teenager and a guy. No matter what teenagers will always have insecurities and, as far as I know, there isn't much more intimidating than meeting your girlfriend's father, face-to-face, and alone.**

 **That's why I made this a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for him. This chapter also focuses solely on what Aster is feeling, which is why I didn't get too in depth with what Stoick was feeling. Aster is extremely nervous because he's stuck in this sudden, unexpected situation that may or may not turn out catastrophically for him. I mean it's not like there's a shortage of girls on Berk but he clearly only has eyes for Hiccup so he probably won't get married or will end up in a loveless union if the Chief turns him away now. That's a lot of pressure.**

 **He's also not the type to marry someone just because. So there's also that.**

 **As you can tell the Chief is also struggling. I mean his daughter just almost died and now, while he's all protective and 'where did my little girl go?' there's a guy asking to marry her. If I was Stoick I would be like: "When did this happen?" and "Dammit he's one of the best in the village, why can't he be a scumbag that I can just kick out the door?"**

 **So yeah, how was it? Too rushed? Not enough detail? Too much emotion from Aster?**

 **THECASTORBEAN**

 **COMMANDS YOU TO COMMENT.**


	5. BONUS 2

" _Oh, hello Hiccup."_

 _I looked up from my meager breakfast of over salted cod, leftovers from the night before, to see Ma's large form blocking the doorway. I could barely make out a head of chestnut hair from behind one of her legs._

" _Good morning ma'am," a squeaky voice greeted back, "are Aster and the others here?"_

" _Why yes dearie, would ye like ta come in?"_

" _Um…if it isn't too much trouble ma'am…"_

 _Ma' chuckled and stepped aside, "Never dearie."_

 _Seeming uncertain, the small child took a few tentative steps over the threshold with her eyes focused on the floorboards. It wasn't until she looked up and met my eyes that a brilliant smile broke out across her face. An instant later she was beside my chair, little hands gripping the edge of the seat as she bade me good morning. I returned the greeting._

" _Well hello there little miss" Axel said, smiling gently as he leaned over to better glimpse the chief's daughter, "you're looking pretty in your dress Hiccup. Is it new?"_

 _Her cheeks flushed an adorable pink as she lifted the hem with one hand, "Yes…my daddy got it for me because my old one was in shambles."_

 _Axel chuckled, "You need to take better care of things Hiccup."_

" _Just like Aster eh?" Calder laughed._

 _I glared at my brother, silently fingering my worn blue tunic under the table. He just continued laughing._

" _Alright, alright, that's enough of that," Ma said, "what is it that yer here for Hiccup? A visit?"_

 _Her eyes widened and a sheepish expression took over her face, like she was embarrassed to have lost track of her original purpose during the course of the conversation. "I wanted to give you all these!" she said, holding out a fistful of flowers._

 _Before Ma' could step forward and take them from her she set out around the table, handing each Hofferson a flower._

 _Axel got yellow, because he was always smiling._

 _Calder got purple, because it was his favorite color._

 _Halvar got orange, because he reminded her of a sunset._

 _Ma' got pink, because it looked good in her hair._

 _Tait got white, because it was a unique color._

 _I got blue, because the color made her feel calm and I acted calm all the time._

" _It's also the color of your eyes!" she said._

" _What about you?" I remember asking, noting that her hands were empty._

 _The smile still graced her face but it didn't quite reach her eyes._

" _I haven't found a color to match me yet…"_

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I woke slowly, the dream fading to a hazy picture that my conscious mind struggled to grasp. But it was gone and I groaned as I sat up and realized that I wasn't home, but in a bed of straw. It wasn't unusual for me to wake up somewhere else. I would occasionally fall asleep in Stormfly's pen, or at Bucket and Mulches farm, or even in the woods when I'd take a break from training.

This felt different though and I didn't realize how until I glanced over and saw Hiccup curled up in a ball barely an arm's reach away. For a brief moment I panicked. We'd been courting for nearly three years now but if something had happened…her father would have my head on a pike before the day was done. But we were both still clothed and upon closer inspection I noticed Toothless curled at Hiccup's back. No way would that dragon have allowed anything to happen between us.

I relaxed back into the hay and exhaled deeply, both relieved and disappointed. Also a bit ashamed of myself for the latter, but mostly relieved. Neither of us were ready for that kind of intimacy. It was only recently that we had been able to kiss lips to lips without it being too awkward, mainly because the number of interruptions from her father, Gobber, and the dragon were diminishing.

Those three had made it a mission to keep us from having any form of physical relationship these past three years. I have a sneaking suspicion that Chief Stoick has finally deemed us both old enough for marriage and is hinting at it by backing off, but I'm not going to take that bait.

To begin with I haven't finished constructing our house yet. Haven't even saved up enough to buy all the necessary equipment, let alone the timber and household necessities. Though I do have enough for a bride price and gift. Being the Chief's daughter, not to mention only child, she is technically allowed to bring her husband home to live in the Chief's hut. It is also expected that either she or her husband will become chief one day and inherit all the wealth of the Chief's family.

But I don't want to depend on charity. I told her father three years ago that I would save up to take care of her. I refuse to be dead weight. We will live on both our merits, not just her inheritance. Besides, neither of us are ready for marriage. Hiccup still goes off for days at a time to explore and learn about dragons while training new recruits at the academy and taking care of a few of the smaller chiefly duties that are escaping her father in his old age.

It is clear that we both want more time before marriage, although…

I turn to gaze at the sleeping profile of my lady, tracing the curve of her cheek and memorizing the way that her bangs flop over closed lids. I reached forward and brushed them away from her face.

Perhaps it wasn't too soon to bring up the topic to her.

" _I haven't found a color to match me yet…"_

And I think I know of a good way to broach the subject.

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 **Okay, so to explain the dream that Aster just had. It was actually a memory. I mentioned several times in the story that one of the key reasons Aster fell for Hiccup in the first place was her always showing up to try and cheer up the Hofferson family after their father died. Well I thought about it a bit. Aster was three when his father died and Hiccup is in the same age group, so I'm just going to say that she's three at that time too. Now I don't care if it's Viking culture and they want their kids to grow up tough, I just can't see parent's allowing three year olds to run all over the place without supervision like that.**

 **I also can't see three year olds being able to walk and talk well enough to, say, walk to a flower field, pick up a handful of flowers that resemble certain people according to their young minds, then walk back into town and knock on the door to hand them out. I can see a six-year-old being able to do that though, so I'm going to say that she first started doing the flower thing when they were six. She did visit between the ages of three and six but less frequently. She probably just saw them around town a lot and would walk up and say hi. This would be especially plausible if they passed the forge a lot.**

 **I don't know. I'm no expert on kids so feel free to contradict me. It was just a thought. I also wanted to expand a bit on what I was thinking with the whole flower thing. Who knows, there could have been a few people curious about what colors the other members of the Hofferson clan got and why.**

 **Also, yes Hiccup is a bit articulate for a child. I made sure to make at least half the flower explanations simple enough for a six-year-old. I wasn't about to hunt down Icelandic flower speak and have her relay that for each Hofferson. I could have just said that the Goethi told her but eh, she's six.**

 **THECASTORBEAN**

 **OUT!**


End file.
